Riesling: Refreshing Crisp and Versatile

If you want to know more about white wine, it is important to learn more about the seven major types of white wine. Riesling wines are almost always in the top three varieties of white wine, which also includes Sauvignon Bland and Chardonnay.

Originating in Germany in the valleys of the Rhine and Mosel rivers Riesling, is a flowery grape variety with an aroma that almost smells like perfume. The grape is used to make sweet, semi-sweet, dry, and sparkling white wines. Sweet dessert wines are usually produced from late harvest Rieslings. Almost always pure, a Riesling is rarely oaked.

Some people shy away from Riesling, believing it to be too sweet for their palette, but times have changed and these days you can find Rieslings from Australia, and California that are quiet dry. The great Rieslings that are produced in Germany are slightly sweeter with acidity for balance. If you prefer a dry Riesling from Germany, look for a Halbrocken, which means half-dry in German, or Trocken, which translates to dry in German.

Riesling wines are highly aromatic with notes of pear, peach, and apple mixed with delicate, soft floral notes that can often give hints of spice and honey on the nose. When you taste a Riesling, you will notice tropical and citrus nuances along with pear, peach, and apple. Occasionally you will detect slight hints of limestone or slate, because the grapes can sometimes pick up the minerals from the soil.

Riesling may very well be the most versatile wine when it comes to flavors and spices. You can pair it with appetizers, desserts and almost every entrée in between including shellfish, poultry, and pork. Riesling is especially nice with Moroccan, Asian and Mexican dishes.

For a deliciously crisp, versatile, and refreshing wine, you cannot do much better than a Riesling.