Riesling

Riesling covers roughly 24,000 hectares planted across all thirteen of Germany's winegrowing regions. Around 50,000 hectares of Riesling are planted worldwide, with Germany holding nearly half the total, followed by significant plantings in the United States, Australia, France, Ukraine, Austria, and Moldova. Pfalz leads Germany's Riesling plantings with 5,900 hectares, followed by Mosel with 5,400 hectares, Württemberg with 4,700 hectares, and Rheingau, where Riesling dominates 80% of regional vineyards (2,500 hectares). Overall, Riesling accounts for 23% of Germany's vineyard surface, making it the country's flagship wine grape.

Riesling's genetic origin is inconclusive but points to a natural cross between Weißer Heunisch and Vitis Sylvestris or a Traminer relative. Its name likely derives from reissen (to split) or rieselnd (trickling). Germany has given Riesling an official birthday of March 13, 1435, when it appears as Riesslingen on a cellar invoice for Count John IV of Katzenelnbogen in Rüsselsheim. Riesling has many regional synonyms, such as Klingelberger in Baden's Ortenau district. It is unrelated to Welschriesling or Schwarzriesling.

Riesling has hardy wood with high frost resistance, buds late, and needs a long, cool ripening period to reach its full potential. It thrives on lean, poor soils and varied topographies that accentuate terroir nuances. The variety is also highly susceptible to botrytis. Yields vary significantly by quality tier and style, ranging from 60 to 70 hectoliters per hectare for sweet Kabinett to 35 to 45 hectoliters per hectare for dry VDP.Grosses Gewächs bottlings. Germany's VDP members cultivate roughly 2,800 hectares of Riesling, accounting for 55% of all VDP vineyard land, 12% of Germany's total Riesling acreage, and 5% of global plantings.

Riesling's defining characteristics include high acidity, low pH, high extract levels, and an expressive aromatic profile. The interplay of high acidity, low pH, extract, and sometimes residual sweetness allows the finest wines to age gracefully for decades. During bottle aging, sun-exposed grapes break down skin carotenoids into TDN (1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene), developing the varietal's distinctive petrol or kerosene aroma over time. Riesling ranges in style from bone dry, as found in Australia's Clare Valley, to a balancing off-dry style found in a Mosel Kabinett feinherb, to lusciously sweet Beerenauslese. Its versatility at the table is unmatched, and it is one of the world's most terroir-expressive wine grapes.