Riesling

Spelling & pronunciation

It's Riesling. Not Reisling. It's "i" before "e", as in masterpiece. Therefore, correct pronunciation is [reesling].

But even if spelled and pronounced correctly, real Riesling is not necessarily in the bottle. Riesling's name has been pirated to give mediocre grape varieties a touch of glamour:

This is Riesling

Riesling, Johannisberg Riesling, Weisser Riesling, White Riesling, Rhine Riesling

This is not

Welschriesling (Italy, Austria), Laski Rizling (Slovenia), Olasz Rizling (Hungary), Cape Riesling (South Africa)

Riesling prefers cooler growing regions...

Riesling is a cool climate grape. If cultivated in hot climates the grape ripens too quickly and loses its acidity and the resulting wine tastes flabby. Although Riesling is grown in almost all wine producing regions, it needs a particular microclimate of long hours of sunshine at moderate temperatures in order to ripen satisfactorily. Continental climates like those in Germany, Alsace or Austria have moderately warm summer days but provide long hours of daylight due to their northerly location. In relatively hot wine regions Riesling thrives only on elevated, cooler vineyards such as Clare Valley or Frankland River in Australia. The map below shows the most important Riesling regions.

Bestowed by nature with hard wood to sustain cold winters, the Riesling vine rests longer than most other varieties and buds rather late in season - as if it knows that in a cool climate the winter can always make a surprise comeback in the form of late spring frosts, which one of the biggest hazards for grape vines.

... and longer growing seasons

In Alsace, where Riesling vineyards lie next to those of Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris or Pinot Noir, it is always the last variety to be picked. Its harvest marks the end of a long growing season fraught with peril. The aforementioned spring frost is less of a danger for Riesling with its hardy wood but the vines tight bunches of small berries are prone to rot during periods of rain. Coulure, the failure of the vine's flowers to turn into berries, can also be a problem for Riesling. This is why Riesling demands a sheltered site, often on steep hills that provide maximum exposure to sun.

But if conditions in the vineyard are conducive magic things are happening in the small grapes. During the slow ripening process high levels of extract are accumulated: sugars, acids, minerals, phenolics and glycerol. More than any other grape variety Riesling speaks of the place where it was grown. It transmits its terroir while keeping its own unmistakable characteristics. It can be vigorous, too, yet even at 60-70 hl/ha the quality of the wine can be outstanding.