Happy International Riesling Day!

Learn About Wine: Learn About Wine |

Tags:31 Days of German Riesling,JN,JN on Tour,JN Wine,JN Wine Club,JNBlog,JNWINE,Wine Scene,Wine Scores,Wine Style,Wine Tasting,Wine Temperature,Winemakers,Riesling,New Zealand,Burgundy,2020,

Riesling is perhaps dually one of the world’s most versatile and yet most misunderstood (and not to mention, mispronounced) grape varieties. For many in this country mere mention of the grape conjures up images of the fusty, saccharine Liebfraumilch brands of the 70s and 80s, but this caricature neglects the grape’s true majesty and potential.

Some of the world’s finest and longest-lived white wines are based on Riesling, and at one time the Riesling wines of the Mosel Valley, Germany, were the most sought-after and expensive in the world, ahead of even the Classed Growths of Bordeaux, the Grand Crus of Burgundy and the Grande Cuvées of Champagne. While the same wines don’t fetch nearly the same prices in relative terms today, what is abundantly clear is that the wine world is gradually reawakening itself to the breadth of possibility that Riesling wines can offer. Like all things in fashion, all good things tend to come around again…

From bone-dry to lusciously sweet, from still to sparkling, and from Botrytis-affected to Eis/Ice wine, Riesling is unrivalled in the styles that its capable of achieving. What’s more than this though, and what cements Riesling’s position as one of the world’s great winemaking grapes, is its ability to distinctly express the characteristics of the setting in which it’s grown – a translation of the hallowed ‘terroir’, the dragon that all oenophiles chase. From the clear delineation between soil types evident in the wines of Germany and Alsace, to the lofty, altitudinal influence in the Rieslings of Australia’s Clare and Eden Valleys, to the solar, breeze-affected examples of New Zealand’s Marlborough and Central Otago, Riesling provides the canvass onto which talented winemakers can coax their unique sense of place into the glass.

Moreover, Riesling produces accessible wines that can ably suit any and every wine drinker’s palate, all the while providing stimulus for those who desire wines that speak of where they’re from and offer age-worthiness and complexity with time in bottle. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of excellent Rieslings spanning multiple regions, styles, and price points, but all that offer intrigue and good value in relative terms.

Happy International Riesling Day!

 

Forrest Estate ‘The Doctor's’ Riesling 2021 - £12.95

Made by the ever-pioneering Drs John and Brigid Forrest, this this low-alcohol, dry Riesling was conceived in response to the rising ‘low-no’ movement in which there was a dearth of high-quality, drier styles of wine for those wishing to exercise some degree of moderation.

Made with fruit grown sustainably in the stony Wairau River Valley of Marlborough, New Zealand, the Forrest’s use innovative pruning techniques to slow the vine’s sugar-producing capabilities without compromising its flavour ripeness, thus resulting in a fully dry Riesling at just 9% alcohol. With a nose redolent of lemon sherbet and a palate chock full of zingy, Granny Smith apple and riper apricot flavours, it’s no wonder why this bargain wine impressed the likes of superstar critic Jancis Robinson MW.

Dr Loosen L Riesling 2022, 75cl - £11.95

Another Doctor! This time from the Mosel Valley in Germany. Ernst ‘Ernie’ Loosen was born into a German winemaking dynasty stretching back hundreds of years. Taking over from his father in 1988, he continued the estate’s approach of traditional, non-interventionist winemaking which includes picking fruit from very old (and often ungrafted) vines along the steep banks of the Middle Mosel, before a long and slow fermentation in huge, neutral oak casks to produce tense, mineral, long-lived wines.

This, the ‘L Riesling 2022’, is made from fruit sourced from across the Loosen’s 50ha of vineyards and is produced in a refreshing and fruity style. Light, yet vibrant, with enticing aromas of white peach flowers and citrus peel,  its 8% abv is great for lunchtime drinking or a pre-dinner aperitif. Pair with spicy and salty dishes, hard cheese and Asian cuisine.

 

Vickery Watervale Riesling 2021 - £15.95

Returning to the theme of Antipodean Riesling, we have this textbook example of Clare Valley Riesling from a world-renowned old master of the craft in John Vickery. One of the great heroes of Australian wine, John began winemaking in the 1950s and joined Vickery as a consultant in a partnership with Philip Lehmann.

Since 2014 they’ve made this Watervale Riesling, sourced from fruit grown at high altitude to preserve its trademark piquant acidity and structure. With bursts of fresh lime and notes of bay leaf and ginger on the palate, this is a wonderful, zesty style of Riesling that works equally well as an aperitif as it does with Thai chilli scallops. What’s more, it’ll reward with careful cellaring, exhibiting trademark honey and petrol aromas over the course of a decade.

Domaine Bott Geyl Les Terroirs Grands Crus Riesling Schlossberg 2018, 75cl - £39.95

Bott-Geyl have been practising low intervention winemaking over seven communes of Alsace for over 200 years. Today, they continue their organic and biodynamic certified viticulture across several Grand Crus, utilising all Noble Alsatian grape varieties with styles ranging from bone dry to lusciously sweet, as well as cultivating ‘lesser’ varieties for the production of regional wines and Crémant d'Alsace. 

The south facing vines for this riesling come from the very steep slope of Schlossberg, the first Grand Cru vineyard in Alsace. The crystalline mineral of granite from the basement of the Vosges Mountains, with sandstone and shale from the Devonian period result in richly floral scents, finesse and crystalline acidity balanced with great charm. Derived from the 2018 vintage, this wine is beginning to unravel its flavour potential and will continue to evolve for decades to come.

Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Auslese 2021, 37.5cl - £42.00

Dönnhoff is arguably the finest estate for Riesling in the Nahe and one of the most respected proponents of the variety not only within Germany but globally. They make all expressions of the grape, ranging from bone-dry Grosses Gewächs to luscious Trockenbeerenausleses and even Eiswein when conditions permit. This, their 2021 Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Auslese hails from the family’s smallest holding, a site of just 1ha on the banks of the River Nahe based on grey slate. This site, named after the bridge above which it is perched, is capable of producing Botrytis-affected styles of wine in most vintages and for this it is hugely prized.

The 2021 vintage continues the Dönnhoff house style of utter, ethereal purity, with fine lemon zest, water lily and marmalade aromas leaping from the glass accompanied by ripe mango and grape confiture on the palate; a richness that duets meticulously with a dart-like lick of acidity culminating in sheer harmony. An absolute marvel of a wine that recently received 97 points from The Wine Advocate and a drinking window estimated to 2070! Otherworldly stuff.

Comments

There are no comments.
Your comment will be reviewed and posted as soon as possible, thank you.

Post a comment