RIESLING

We chose Riesling as the initial grape varietal to profile due to its increasing worldwide popularity.  According to AC Nielson, Riesling is the #1 fastest worldwide grape.  Why the increased demand for Riesling?  Riesling is a versatile food wine and relative to other white wines it is a great value for the quality.

Ripe Riesling grapes
Color of berry skin:	Blanc
Species:	Vitis vinifera
Also called:	Rheinriesling, Johannisberg
Origin:	Rhine Region of Germany
Notable Regions:	Germany, France-Alsace, Italy, Australia, US-Washington
Notable wines:	Eiswein, Trockenbeerenauslese, Beerenauslese, Grosses Gewächs, Alsace Grand Cru, Wachau Smaragd
Copyright Wikipedia®

Riesling is a white grape variety with origins in Germany’s Rhine region, dating back to the 15th century.  Riesling is used in making dry, semi-sweet and sparkling white wines.  The wines from Riesling are flowery with striking perfumed aromas and tend to have a higher acid content.  The Riesling variety is a grape that is also very much influenced by where it is grown (terroir-expressive), as the resultant wines vary significantly from location-to-location. Rieslings are also varietally pure (wines made with Rieslings are not blended with juice from other grapes) and rarely aged in oak.

Riesling comes in more “flavors” than any other wine, making it a versatile food wine.  The aromas of Rieslings include apple, jasmine, honey, spice and petrol with a flavor range that includes peaches, apricots, apples, citrus and tropical fruits like pineapple and lychee.  Rieslings vary in tastes from “bone dry” with little to no discernable sweetness to very sweet desert style wines.  The acidity in Rieslings cuts through the richness of meats and sauces, while its fruit-forward sweetness pairs well with both spicy and lighter, flavorful food styles.  For example many Thai dishes pair quite well with Riesling.

Worldwide Riesling plantings of Rieslings totaled 58,679 hectares (145,000 acres) as of 2008.  The bulk of this production resides in Germany (worldwide leader) with 21,197 hectares (52,830 acres), the Alsace region of France 3,350 hectares (8,300 acres) [Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d’Alsace (CIVA – regional wine body)] and the quickly rising Washington State with 3,439 hectares (8,500 acres).  There are also significant plantings of Riesling in Austria, Luxembourg, northern Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, China and Ukraine. In the countries where it is cultivated, Riesling is most commonly grown in colder regions and locations.

In the United States, Washington State has become the leader in Riesling wine production. In 2008, the state crushed more Riesling than any other grape variety —28,500 tons, or roughly 38 percent of the state’s entire white wine crop [Wine Spectator, February 2009].  To put this into perspective, this was more than the production of Chardonnay, Cabernet and Merlot.   Chateau Ste. Michelle has become the worldwide leader in Riesling production, by volume, with annual productions of over 600,000 cases a year.  In 2007 Pacific Rim Winemakers, another Pacific Northwest winery and owned by Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon, has built the first wine facility in Red Mountain AVA dedicated completely to Riesling production [Wine Press Northwest, Spring 2007].  Washington state also happens to be home to The International Riesling Foundation founded in 2007.