Wine Grapes: Riesling

One of the world’s greatest white wine grapes, capable of making particularly geographically expressive and long-lived wines at all sweetness levels. Riesling is one of the most ancient German grape varieties, as suggested by its impressive number of synonyms.

There is rarely any shortage of flavor and aroma in a Riesling – in fact the bouquet in mature examples can be so strong as to deter some wine drinkers. Because Riesling is so good at expressing the terroir where it is grown, it is difficult to generalize about its aromas and general character. They can be floral, fruity, mineral, and/or spicy. One generalization can be made: Riesling makes some of the longest-lived wines in the world, wines that last about as long as a red Bordeaux of equivalent quality.