Riesling is a white wine that is also a wine grape. With Riesling wine, it can be either dry or sweet and sometimes sparkling, but the ones from Germany are the sweetest wines of all. Riesling wines are in the top list of sweet white wines available.

Riesling is thought to originate in Germany near the Rhine region where the wine grapes flourish. However, tests have been done to prove it was brought to France probably from Croatia from back in the Roman Empire days, giving this wine a very long history. This wine is a mixture of the Goulais Blanc of France and Traminer grapes from Italy. Both varieties are red and white, yet Riesling is made into a white wine only. And more often than not Riesling is a sweet wine.

These wines can age nicely, but are often consumed young. Young, Rieslings are very fruity with aromas of apples pink grapefruit, honey blossom and rose and fresh mown grass. Rieslings are naturally crisp, highly acidic with low alcohol levels and because of this high acidity it permits extended aging of the wine. It is also because of the high acid levels that winemakers add residual sugar to give the wine some equilibrium between acidity and alcohol.

Some Rieslings, especially the late-harvest varieties, are very expensive. These grapes develop Noble Rot, a type of gray fungus, but this helps the excess water to evaporate from the fruit and concentrates sweetness.

When the grapes freeze whether by natural freezing in winter or intentionally, the result is ice wine. Ice wines are very rich and super sweet because of the high concentration of sugar in them and result in excellent sweet wines.

Riesling ripens in the fall in Germany, but is often not harvested until January. This is considered a late-harvest wine. The wine is ages in stainless steel cask tanks and is known for its fruitiness.

The wines made in Alsace have been known to be dry full-bodied wines that coat the palette. The body of Alsatian Riesling come out after moderate aging but they are rarely sweet.

Riesling wine from Australia is typically lean with the aromas and flavors of toast, honeycomb and lime. The wine usually goes through fermentation in stainless steel which prevents oxidation from occurring. When the wines are young they tend to have an oily texture with citrus flavors, but achieve balance with age.

Riesling is not widely planted in California, but when it is wine maker do it as a late-harvest dessert wine. The wines tend to be softer and fuller than German Rieslings and have more complex flavors. Riesling produced in Oregon and Washington can run dry to sweet while maintaining crispness that makes it an easy drinking sweet wine for beginners.

Riesling has a long history and there is a lot to learn about wine made from this grape, more than I can put into one post on the subject. I hope though, that you have gleaned enough information to spark an interest in this wonderful wine and I hope you explore its many styles.