But isn't that like... sweet?

Liebfraumilch ≠ Riesling

Embarrassment and pity, that is what I usually see in people's faces when I mention that German Riesling is my passion. After all, German wines, and Riesling in particular, are awfully sweet. So the folk tale goes.

The history of Riesling in America begins with Plato's cave allegory in 360 BC: prisoners are chained insided a cave, they can't move around nor turn their head. Their reality consists exclusively of shadows of objects which are cast onto the wall in front of them. In the same fashion, for decades Americans were forced to think that Blue Nun and Liebfraumilch ("gentle woman's milk") are the real thing while they are merely cheaply sweetened images made mostly from the high-yielding grape variety Müller-Thurgau, which produces wine of little character. So although the two culprits mentioned above by law contain at least 30% of Riesling, in reality they most likely won't. And who cares anyway with a wine that costs $5. When I say Riesling, I am not talking about Blue Nun.

Not every German wine is sweet [repeat]

So take back your pity and let me tell you: there has always been dry-fermented German Riesling. And as we know, demand for dry, food-friendly white wine is rising. People are simply getting tired of over-oaked insipid Chardonnay and now want something with character. That's good. Correspondingly, more and more dry German Rieslings are now available in stores.

If this is news to you, you are not alone. I went to a reputable wine store in lower Manhattan and asked for a dry German Riesling. The sales person immediately went to the Alsace section. I insisted on Germany so he suggested a Kabinett. But when I said that the term "Kabinett" does not mean dry he gave up and told me that all he can offer in that case is Riesling from Austria. No dry Rieslings from Germany? I asked. Unfortunately not, he said. After he had returned to the back of the store I spotted a Riesling Spätlese Trocken from the Weingut Falkenstein and after another quick look around I ended up with three different bottles of completely dry German Rieslings at the counter. How did I do that? If even the staff in a wine store store doesn't know if a German Riesling is dry or not, how can you tell?

Your friend, the label

The crucial piece of information isn't
always obvious

The notorious German wine label comes to rescue. Precise and almost kafka-esque in its effort to be informative, it will tell you what you need to know. First and foremost, look out for the word trocken. It means dry in German. If it's stated on the label the wine is dry.

You may even try a halbtrocken (semi-dry) wine. By law, a halbtrocken wine can have up to 18g suger per liter, which may translate into a hint of sweetness. But it can also taste completely dry if the wine has enough acidity to balance the sugar. It's a bit of a gamble with a halbtrocken, but if there is any sweetness at all, it's usually very subtle.

Starting with the 2000 vintages the terms Classic or Selection can now be found on a German label. The first is an affordable, easy-drinking wine, the latter a more serious wine from a single vineyard. In both cases, however, the wines are completely dry.

Finally, check for the alcohol content of the wine, which is either stated on the front or back label. It can at least give a hint about the wine's likely dryness or sweetness level. During fermentation yeasts turn grape sugar into alcohol. Thus, the higher the alcohol level, the less sugar is left in the wine and therfore chances that the wine is dry are high. Generally speaking, a 12% - 13.5% alcohol wine is most likely dry. On the other hand, if you see a Kabinett or Spätlese wine at 7.5% alcohol, there is residual sugar left in the wine which obviously results in a sweeter style.

There is plenty of dry German Riesling out there, even if the your local wine store staff isn't aware of it. But now you know what to look out for. If you still can't find a dry German Riesling, go for a Kabinett. It's sweet, yes, but with the right amount of acidity it will be refreshingly so.

Wines tasted for this article

July 2007