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Riesling, the Superstar
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- At the wine festival in Freiburg, a glass of Riesling is poured into a glass etched with the tower of the city’s gothic cathedral.
- (© picture-alliance/ dpa/dpaweb)
Fruity, refreshing, light – it is this triad which characterizes German Riesling wines and makes them the most successful among German white wines. Yet the history of Riesling has certainly had its ups and downs – although the happy ending has lasted quite a number of years. After 1945, the Germans’ favorite wine was quite off form for a long time. The order of the day was mass production and a taste that was called lieblich (medium-sweet) but was ultimately perceived as sugary-sweet. Things changed towards the end of the 1980s: the winegrowers reduced yields, focused on quality, and since then they have been able to benefit nationally and internationally from a development that almost takes up where the great times for German Riesling left off in the mid-19th century. Then, the prices at international wine fairs for top-class wines from the Rheingau, Pfalz and Mosel regions were above those being asked for the most expensive premiers crus from Bordeaux.
Riesling is a grape variety wine, a cépage noble, one of the best among the world’s almost ten thousand famous vine varieties. It is presumed that the first Riesling vines were cultivated in the Rhine valley in Germany during the Middle Ages, although the Austrian Wachau region also lays claims to primogeniture for that same period. During the 12th and 13th centuries this type of vine spread from the Rheingau region all over Germany. Worldwide, it is planted on 50,000 hectares, of which the lion’s share, 21,500 hectares, is cultivated in Germany, where optimum conditions prevail for Riesling to thrive. The mild German climate brings with it a long maturation period, which can sometimes last until November. The vine has time to draw a maximum of flavors from the various soils, be it on steep slopes, in flat vineyards or across rolling hills.
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- Harvesting grapes on steep inclines, such as these Riesling grapes alongside the Mosel, takes two to three times as many hours as on the flatlands below.
- (© picture-alliance/ dpa)
The uniqueness and depth that this gives rise to can be tasted in every glass. After a phase in which only dry Rieslings were sold, today there is a demand for mature medium-dry types that can hold their own against strong-tasting meat or fish. It is the noble sweet Trockenbeerenauslese Riesling wines made from dry overripe grapes that receive the highest grades internationally.
Today, young winemakers complement the elegant mystery of those wines with filigree and slender Rieslings whose strength lies in their pedigree and refinement. In recent times, the interplay of vine landscape and winegrower has been referred to as terroir. This term has become a keyword, its meaning an alternative. After all, globalization also means standardization in winemaking. Currently, people in the field are working to design a global wine flavor. This may taste good, but it is the same everywhere. Under such circumstances, it is good to know that the yellowish-golden and shimmering green Riesling will still be available, with an aroma that is not an empty promise and a blend of acidity, fruit and minerals which reflects the part of the world that allowed the Riesling to become what it is. Different every time. And yet unique in its kind.
By Stefan Siegert, Source/Copyright:
