Information about White Varietal

Rieslaner

Riesling

Rkatsiteli

Riesling overview
Riesling is a cool climate grape, which ripens late and achieves flavor complexity at lower sugar levels than other varieties. It gives distinct styles of wine, depending partly on geographical location. German Rieslings until the past decade were typically vinified in off-dry or sweet styles, using old oak for maturation, and producing low levels of alcohol, although the trend to completely dry (tröcken) vinification now is more dominant. The sweet wines extend into botrytized dessert wines. Riesling in Alsace tends to be vinified dry, with much higher levels of alcohol. In the New World, Australian Riesling is always dry, and is matured in stainless steel to give crisp, citrus flavors. Several lesser grape varieties have names that resemble Riesling (such as Welschriesling) but are not comparable in quality. The wines typically are pale in color, with high natural acidity. They have pronounced aromatics on the nose, often developing aromas of petrol.

Climate for Riesling
It is a late-budding and late-ripening variety (at least in context of Germany), and continues to ripen even in relatively cold temperatures. Spring frosts are not usually a problem, because of the late budding. The vine has hard wood, which gives good resistance to winter cold. It holds on to its acid well as it ripens. It reaches phenolic maturity at an early stage. One of its features is that it gives full flavors at all stages of ripeness - other varietals harvested at equivalent potential alcohol levels would taste unripe. This suits it for cool climate production, although it is quite adaptable to different climates. In Germany, the harvest often does not occur until October. The German view is that Riesling loses its characteristics when grown in warmer climates, when the grapes develop thicker skins that may give more tannins and phenols and a coarser taste to the wine.

Terroir for Riesling
It is strongly affected by soil type and so reflects the terroir. It benefits from being planted in a soil that remains warm until the end of the season. The best Alsace Rieslings grow on granite which warms up in the sun and retains its heat well. In Germany (and especially in Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, which is at the Northern limit for its growth) it requires South-SouthEast facing slopes to ripen, aided by slate soils that warm up and retain heat overnight. Rieslings of Germany, grown on slate, have the most steely character; those of Alsace, grown on more calcareous soil have more weight; Australian Rieslings are crisp and lean (although this owes as much to the style of vinification).

Regions for Riesling
Usually planted in cool climates, by preference on granite or slate terroir, sometimes in locations that would be marginal for growing other varietals. Grown in France exclusively in Alsace, all over Germany, a higher proportion of plantings in the Mosel and Rheingau in the North, in favored locations in the West of Austria (Kamptal and Wachau), and in cooler spots in Australia.

Vinification of Riesling
The yields permitted for it in Alsace are higher than for other varietals in other French appellations; the yields in Germany are often >120 hl/ha, lower than the highly productive Müller-Thurgau at up to 300 hl/ha. It is grown in the New World most notably in the Clare and Eden Valleys of South Australia (which, although overall much warmer than Germany, have many microclimates). It is almost never vinified in new oak; it may be vinified in old oak, when gentle oxidation softens it and adds complexity, as in Germany or Alsace; or in stainless steel, which retains crisper flavors, as in Australia. Riesling is considered not to be susceptible to manipulation in winemaking.

Viticulture of Riesling
It grows in compact clusters of small berries, making it especially susceptible to fungal diseases. Growth is vigorous and upright. It is claimed that Riesling gives high yields without loss of quality.

Clones of Riesling
The grape is generally consistent and there is no large variation between different clones (with the exception of the highly aromatic clone N90 that is grown in the Pfalz). During the 1960-1970s, high-yielding clones were planted in Germany, but during the 1990s better quality low-yielding clones were planted. Various other grapes have appended Riesling to their name, but the true varietal is labeled as Riesling, Rhine Riesling, Johannisberg Riesling, Weisser Riesling, or White Riesling. Various false Rieslings are Welschriesling, Riesling Italico, Laski Rizling. Also note that Hunter Valley Riesling is usually Sémillon, and South African Riesling is usually Crouchen Blanc.

Winemaking with Riesling
Riesling is always vinified as a monovarietal. Malolactic fermentation is not used, which results in high malic as well as tartaric acid. The German style of Riesling has been to leave some residual sugar in the wine (made necessary to counteract the natural high acidity), although wines vinified dry have become more common; the style of New World Riesling is to vinify dry to reveal pure varietal character. Old oak may be used to mature Riesling in ?pe; it is never exposed to new oak. Vinification in stainless steel is used predominantly in the New World to bring out the minerality and acidity, with citrus flavors dominating the palate.

The taste of Riesling
The palate typically is racy and elegant, marked by good acidity, light almost perfumed fruit, which can show a range of flavors from green apples to minerals, apricots, etc. Fruits tend to be precise. Some believe that the full delicacy of Riesling is only revealed, however, in the presence of at least some residual sugar; the new Classic style in Germany allows sufficient residual sugar to tame the acidity, but with the wine still left tasting dry. Riesling is considered to be a "terroir grape" that reflects its site of production. Riesling gives wines that are capable of prolonged aging, partly due to the natural high acidity; this is especially true of the dessert-style wines. Typical characteristics of Riesling are: