Rieseling Flashcards
Descriptors for Riesling
Aromatic, floral, citrusy
Common notes/flavours for Riesling
Peach, apricot, pineapple, passion fruit, rose
Major growing areas for Riesling
Mosel, Rheingau (Germany)
Alsace (France)
Clare Valley (Australia)
Wachau Valley (Australia)
Washington State
How to tell if sweet Riesling?
Alcohol below 12 percent
Typicality of Rieslings
Light in alcohol, refreshingly high in fruity natural acidity, and like Pinot Noir, transmits the character of a place through its extract and unique aroma
Rieslings should have malolactic fermentation or barreled?
No, performs best when fermented cool and bottled early without any maloactive or wood influence
Does Riesling ripen early?
Yes, so when planted in a hot climate juice can be overripe and flabby long before it develops interesting flavours.
Unique characteristics of Rieslings from Mosel Valley (Northern Germany)
Regarded as late ripening (staplese) - which means it ripens fully only on most favoured sites that are tilted towards direct and reflected sunlight. Riesling from Mosel, Saar and Ruwer are very distinctive - light, crisp, racy and refreshing.
Characteristics of Rheingau Rieslings
Steely, lemony, mineral-scented.
Why do people generally find Rieslings too sweet?
Cool-climate loving grape has high acid levels that need to be tamed through leaving some residual sugar - sometimes, sweet unfermented grape juice is even added.
But with climate change, the grapes ripen more successfully and bone-dry Rieslings are much more common in Germany.
Unique of Alsace Rieslings
Tingly-dry, steely, can age for a decade or two in a bottle. Slight talcum powder aroma so can be great wines for aperitif.
Unqiue of Austrian Rieslings (Wachau)
More body and alcohol
Australian Rieslings (Clare Valley, Eden Valley)
Punchy confident wine, develops faster than German rieslings in bottle and can acquire a certain toastiness
