Riesling

Riesling is VIVC variety number 10077, with the prime name Riesling Weiss, a white berry skin and Germany as its country or region of origin. One parent of Riesling is Heunisch Weiss, and the other parent is unknown: the pedigree is given as '? X HEUNISCH WEISS' and listed as confirmed by markers. Riesling has offspring, among them Kerner, Müller-Thurgau, Rieslaner and Scheurebe. Its half-siblings include Chardonnay, Gamay, Furmint, Blaufränkisch, Aligoté and Melon de Bourgogne.

• VIVC variety number 10077; prime name Riesling Weiss; berry skin colour white (blanc); country or region of origin Germany
• Pedigree: unknown parent crossed with Heunisch Weiss, confirmed by markers
• Offspring: Kerner, Müller-Thurgau, Rieslaner, Scheurebe

The word Riesling was mentioned in a document for the first time on 13 March 1435, and the longest Riesling tradition is probably in the Rheingau and on the Moselle, where historical documents can be dated to 1435 and 1465 respectively. On 13 March 1435 a winery in Rüsselsheim invoiced Count John IV of Katzenelnbogen for six vines of Riesling, and the date is marked as German Riesling Day. Evidence of Riesling in what is now Rheinhessen and the Palatinate dates from the end of the 15th century and the first half of the 16th century, and the derivation of the name is still debated. Internationally the variety is known as Rheinriesling, and Baden Riesling wines may use the synonym Klingelberger. Weißer Riesling has nothing in common with Welschriesling, and unrelated grapes and wines that share the name include Emerald Riesling, Laskirizling, Olaszrizling and Welschriesling. In Alsace, Riesling was introduced at the end of the 15th century and reached the top position of production areas there after the 1960s.

• 13 March 1435: first documentary mention of the word Riesling
• Synonyms: Rheinriesling internationally and Klingelberger for Baden Riesling; Riesling Renano in Friuli and Alto Adige and Rizling Rajinski in Croatia
• Not related: many other grapes and wines share the name but are unrelated to Riesling

Riesling is a slowly ripening grape variety predestined for northern growing regions, where it completes its ripening in the late autumn sun, and optimal conditions are offered by heat-retaining stony steep slopes along river valleys. Larger German Riesling growing areas can also be found in Württemberg, on the Nahe and in Baden. The Mosel's mainly weathered Devonian slate soils are credited by Decanter with imparting a mineral character. Riesling's second most important habitat after the Rhine basin is the Danube basin, in particular Lower Austria and the Wachau, Kremstal and Kamptal. In Alsace, terraced vineyards at 200m to 400m altitude lie in the rain shadow of the Vosges mountains. The first recorded Australian plantings were in 1838 near Penrith, New South Wales.

• Mosel: piercingly fresh acidities and relatively moderate alcohol levels
• Rheingau: around 2,412 ha of Riesling in 2024, almost 78% of the vineyard area there
• Alsace: Riesling d'Alsace is a dry, very linear wine
• Wachau, Kremstal and Kamptal, Austria: Wachau Riesling from steep, thin, rocky soils is aromatic, lean, dry and mineral
• Clare Valley and Eden Valley: Clare Valley combines slate and limestone soils with cool nights, and Eden Valley Riesling is typically light-bodied with a lemon/lime character and a steely finish; Eden Valley can also produce mineral, bone-dry Rieslings
• North America: one critic writes that Washington state 'virtually adopted the variety as a speciality in the early years of the century' and that Canada 'regularly produces stunning ice wines from this variety'

As Riesling grapes ripen, they develop from floral (white blossom) and citrus (lemon and lime) notes to stone fruit (peach and nectarine) and eventually to ripe tropical notes (pineapple and mango), and Riesling's high acidity remains in both dry and sweet styles. The typical Riesling is pale yellow tending towards greenish-yellow, with a predominantly peach or apple aroma and a racy acidity; Rieslings from slate soils are reputed to have a mineral note, and age-ripened wines often have a petrol tone. A hint of kerosene (TDN) can be found in many an aged Riesling wherever it was grown. Riesling d'Alsace shows lemon, citronella, grapefruit, peach and pear with white flowers and lime blossom, and develops mineral aromas (flint, silex, kerosene) depending on the soil where it grows.

• Dry German Riesling: crisp acidity with green apple, lemon and lime
• Medium-sweet German Riesling: peach, apricot and honey, with a softer mouthfeel than dry styles
• Botrytis wines (Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese): dried apricot and marmalade aromas, very sweet
• Eiswein: grapes harvested frozen at temperatures below minus 7°C and pressed while still frozen, usually between 7% and 10% abv

One critic writes that Riesling, like top quality Chenin Blanc, 'performs best if fermented cool and bottled early without any malolactic fermentation or wood influence'. Some Riesling is matured in traditional wooden barrels. A winemaker can ferment all the sugar in the grapes to make a dry wine, or stop the fermentation early to leave a wine low in alcohol (usually under 10% abv) with some sweetness. In Australia the tradition has been to ferment Riesling to complete dryness, cool, temperature controlled fermentations in stainless steel are common, and it is rare to find Australian Riesling not bottled under Stelvin (screwcap).

• Dry styles: all the sugar is fermented to alcohol; late-picked grapes, for example, can make a dry wine of possibly 13% abv
• Sweeter styles: fermentation stopped early, usually under 10% abv
• Trocken: no more than 4g per litre of residual sugar, or up to 9g if residual sugar does not exceed total acidity by more than 2g
• Australia: traditionally fermented to complete dryness, most bottled early, and rarely sealed with anything but screwcap

One wine education body names Weingut Keller and Clemens Busch among producers renowned for dry German Riesling, and Egon Müller, JJ Prüm and Willi Schaefer among makers of some of the world's most sought-after sweet wines. One critic's list of particularly notable Riesling sites includes Egon Müller Scharzhofberg in the Mosel, Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg in the Rheingau, Emrich Schönleber Halenberg in the Nahe, Trimbach Clos Ste Hune in Alsace and Jeffrey Grosset Polish Hill in Australia's Clare Valley. Decanter's roll-call of top Mosel producers includes Dr Loosen, and Decanter also lists Bründlmayer, Emmerich Knoll, FX Pichler and Franz Hirtzberger among top Austrian growers.

• Egon Müller (Mosel): Scharzhofberg, a site one critic lists as particularly notable for Riesling
• Trimbach (Alsace): Clos Ste Hune, a site one critic lists as particularly notable for Riesling, and a wine the same critic cites among the best of Alsace's tingly-dry, steely wines
• Grosset (Clare Valley): Polish Hill, a site one critic lists as particularly notable for Riesling
• Bründlmayer: Riesling Kamptal Terrassen and Ried Heiligenstein 1ÖTW Riesling

Riesling d'Alsace pairs with delicate white fish and shellfish, oysters, poultry and white meats such as veal ragout or coq au Riesling, and goat and sheep milk cheeses. For German Riesling, Kabinett pairs with light seafood dishes and salads, Spätlese with spicy foods and soft cheeses, and Auslese with rich desserts, foie gras and strong blue cheese. Fresh oysters, goat's cheese, salads and lighter fish dishes suit Australian Riesling.

• Kabinett: light seafood dishes and salads, or as an aperitif
• Spätlese: spicy foods and soft cheeses
• Auslese: rich desserts, foie gras and strong blue cheese
• Riesling d'Alsace: goat and sheep milk cheeses

Primary sources: https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=10077 ; https://www.winesofgermany.com/our-wine/grape-varieties/grape-variety/105/riesling ; https://www.vinsalsace.com/en/tastes-and-colours/grapes-varieties/fresh-and-dry/riesling-dalsace/ ; https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2024/july/17/understanding-riesling-in-germany ; https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2025/decoding-german-riesling-a-guide-to-quality-and-styles ; https://www.wineaustralia.com/market-insights/regions-and-varieties/riesling ; https://www.oiv.int/public/medias/5888/en-distribution-of-the-worlds-grapevine-varieties.pdf ; https://www.bruendlmayer.at/en/wines/kamptal-terrassen-riesling-2025/ ; https://www.bruendlmayer.at/en/wines/ried-heiligenstein-1oetw-riesling-2025/ Reference sources: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/white/riesling ; https://www.decanter.com/wine/grape-varieties/riesling/ ; WSET, Understanding Wines: Explaining Style and Quality (Level 3), 2016, ISBN 978 1 905819 39 3, pp. 56-57 ; https://winefolly.com/grape-varieties/riesling/ Last verified 2026-10-04