Wine lesson - Riesling

Wine lesson – Riesling

Riesling is a grape variety that originates in Germany, but is grown all over the world in cooler climates.

My husband Ray loves German white wines, and Riesling, with all of its varieties, is one of his favorites. From the dry and young Riesling, to the sweet Eiswein (so-called ice wine because it is left longer on the vine and picked after a freeze), he enjoys these sweeter wines. I enjoy them too, though I generally prefer a dry (less sweet) wine.

We’ve tried the sweet dessert wines of the beerenauslese (BA) and trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) class. Ray will swirl the glass, both to open up the wine and also to observe the “legs” that run down into the glass – the sweeter the wine, the thicker the legs.

The Finger Lakes region of New York was one of the earliest producers of Riesling in the United States. Ray’s family is from Buffalo, a couple of hours from the area, and has a family connection on his mother’s side to the Widmer Winery.

Try Riesling from Germany and the USA, as well as other countries, and make notes as to which you like. As your palate becomes more refined, you’ll be able to express what you like/dislike about the various wines you drink.