What's Going On in the World of French Wines

Ah, Riesling.  While I love so many grapes, if I were pressed, it would be difficult for me to deny that Riesling is at the top of my list of favorite white grapes.  So versatile, so food-friendly and so, well, delicious! Riesling is grown in a variety of places around the world, but some of my very favorite regions for producing this age-worthy grape are Alsace, Germany, Austria, Washington State and Australia.

Riesling is characterized by high, racy acidity and a pronounced nose that can include aromas of green apples, limes, lemons, white flowers, orange blossoms, peaches, apricots, tropical fruits, and even smoke, slate and minerals.  Riesling is known for being a grape that is very expressive of “terroir” – a French word that refers to the unique combination of soil, climate and vine or roughly, “the taste of a place.”  That’s why you see those last few descriptors of smoke, slate and minerals for Riesling.  Many wine tasters will talk about the minerality of Riesling.  By that, they are trying to describe the pure, fresh flavors of Riesling.  I have always found that Riesling is one of the most poetic grapes – by that I mean that the descriptors that tasters use to try to convey the taste of Riesling can get very flowery and exotic.  I’ve heard everything from sucking on stones to the taste of air after a lightening storm.  But essentially, Riesling is a mouth-watering combination of fruit and acid and almost always as appealing on the nose as it is on the palate.

Riesling is also one of those unique grapes that can run the gamut style-wise.  Riesling can be dry with intense concentration and fairly high alcohol, or it can be sweet and delicate, with a low level of alcohol.  Riesling can also be still, sparkling or with such a high level of sugar as to be classified as a dessert wine.  Riesling often has the reputation of being a sweet wine, but this is truly not always the case.  Many Rieslings do have a discernable level of residual sugar which can help balance their high natural acidity.  But there are also a lot of dry Rieslings available and those from the French region of Alsace are a terrific example of the drier, more full-bodied style.  One other interesting fact about Riesling is that it rarely sees any time in new oak barrels.  Rather than impose aromas and flavors on it, those who make Rieslings tend to prefer to let the grape express its own natural character.