White Wine

Riesling

A stunning variety made in a bewildering array of styles from crisp, dry to off-dry and incredibly sweet.

Beyond style, the variety has incredible ability to be consumed young or very old, producing some of the most long-lived white wines of any variety. The sweet German Rieslings also rate as some of the worlds most expensive.

Where is it grown?

In Europe we see plantings in Alsace, France, across many regions in Germany from the Mosel to the Rheinhessen and the Pfalz. Along with Grüner Veltinger, Riesling is widely planted in Austria.

In South Australia, the Clare Valley’s, Polish Hill and Watervale produce stunning Riesling. You’ll find great Riesling coming from the Eden Valley SA, Central Victoria, Canberra, Tasmania, and, from the Great Southern in WA.

There are some cracking Rieslings coming out of New Zealand too!

What does it taste like?

Fresher dry styles tend to have citrus aromas and flavours with floral blossoms. Riper styles introducing stone fruit.

From region to region winemaking changes from simple pressing of fruit and fermentation to dry in stainless steel to use of skin contact and maturation in oak. Layering in different textures and flavours.

Shifting gear to Germany and Alsace the game of balancing sugar, alcohol and acid comes into play. From dry 12.5-13% wines we shift to lower alcohol dry wines and then the freshest of the sweet wines, the Kabinett styles. Coming in with as little as 7.5% sugar the trick is achieving balance with higher acidity. From Kabinett we mover through an array of styles increasing in sweetness and alcohol, heading all the way to the very sweet botrytis style Trockenbeerenauslese & Icewein made from frozen grapes.

You can read more about the different styles of Riesling made in Germany in the Wine Bites Mag articles exploring Riesling.

Off-dry Riesling lends itself beautifully to pairing with many Asian foods. Aged, sweeter, botrytis styles are perfect with cheese and fresher fruit desserts. Fresh, citrus styles are perfect with seafood and lighter poultry.

2017 Riesling Sensations

Germany Dry

Delicious!

Wagner-Stempel Riesling Porphyr 2017

Riesling | Siefersheim, Germany

Beautifully balanced, it rests toward the acid side of the scales, with a touch less alcohol, taming rich luscious fruits. We often get seduced by opulence. Daniel's 2015's from sites yielding some of the ripest fullest fruit in the Rheinhessen certainly have such seduction. The 2016 Porphyr, beautifully balanced, it rests toward the acid side of the scales, with a touch less alcohol, taming rich luscious fruits. Such a sophisticated wine of great line and length.

$59

$56ea in any 3+

$53ea in any 6+

Wagner-Stempel Riesling Heerkretz 2017

Riesling | Rheinhessen, Germany

White peach, apple and lime are accented by their pits and pits as well as by raw almond on an enticing nose highly reminiscent of that exhibited by the corresponding 2016. Scents of Ceylon tea and spring beauty (Claytonia) add inner-mouth allure. The feel is flatteringly silken, notwithstanding the persistence of stimulating piquancy. Infectious juiciness, along with an invigoratingly tactile, active sense of crystalline stony impingement, dramatically sets this wine’s vibrant, bell-clear fin

$125

$120ea in any 3+

$115ea in any 6+

DRY

Clemens Busch Riesling Marienburg 1er Grosses-Gewächs ‘Fahrlay Terrasse’ 2017

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

The 2017 Marienburg Riesling Fahrlay Terrassen opens with a bright, very clear, fresh and stony bouquet of concentrated white fruits and lemon notes intertwined with crushed slate aromas. On the palate, this is a highly finessed and elegant Riesling from vines that are 100+ years old. This 2017 serves intensity, power and complexity in a subtle way. The wine has a subtle tannin grip that makes this like a white Pinot Noir. Salty and crunchy and highly finessed, this is a powerful but elegant and

$174

$167ea in any 3+

$160ea in any 6+

DRY

Clemens Busch Riesling Marienburg ‘Raffes’ 2017

Riesling | Mosel, Germany

The 2017 Pündericher Marienburg Riesling Raffes is the essence of gray slate. Bright in color and flavors but also intense and intermixed with lemon-fresh stony notes, this is a concentrated yet pure, fresh and finessed, highly intense and refined Riesling with great length and an endless finish. This is a powerful but Auslese-styled Riesling with concentration, finesse and lots of power but no alcoholic impression. The wine was bottled with 13% alcohol and almost nine grams of residual sugar.

$280

$270ea in any 3+

$260ea in any 6+

Germany Off-Dry

Max Ferdinand Richter Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett 2017

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

Seriously! How often to Graacher and Wehlener just come up with the goods. This is a superb Kabinett. It has that slide flinty, reductive edge, less so than Prüm's Graacher. Huge energy here with a sense of translucence somehow coming through over the divine fruits. Reminds me of Clemens Busch. It has incredible length, with a pinch of salt to finish. Refreshing, mouthwatering, succulent juice, just as a good Kabinett should be! From 70- to 80-year-old vines, the 2017 Graacher Himmelreich

$49

$47ea in any 3+

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Selbach Oster Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett Riesling 2017

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

This is a beauty, graceful with a certain transparency to it. The freshness, combined with excellent depth and length is classic Kabinett. Like Max F Richter, the use of large old wood for fermentation and maturation harmonises the wine beautifully. A joy to devour! “Great Mosel Kabinett should be like drinking cool spring water; thirst quenching and delicious.” Johannes Selbach

$58

$55ea in any 3+

$52ea in any 6+

Max Ferdinand Richter Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese 375ml 2017

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

Yes! Stunning gear. I think the guys from Mosel Fine Wines calling it and Auslese Lange GK style is bang on. Lange GK = Long Gold Capsule and reference to the Reserve of the Reserve wines in Aussie vernacular. Give this 10-20 years and you'll be climbing a stairway to heaven! The 2017er Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese was harvested at well over 110° Oechsle. It offers a very classy and elegant nose of apricot blossom, whipped cream, almond, smoke and fine herbs. The wine proves highly

$71

$68ea in any 3+

$65ea in any 6+

Only 70L Made!

Max Ferdinand Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Beerenauslese 375ml 2017

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

The 2017er Wehlener Sonnenuhr BA was harvested at a full 150° Oechsle. The wine proves still rather restrained yet already more than hints at gorgeous TBA-like notes of honey, raisin, baked spices, apple jelly, orange zest, toffee, and nut paste come through. These scents lead to stunningly creamy and honeyed notes including raisin, baked spices and apple jelly on the palate. A refreshingly acidity makes gives this superbly oily wine the great zesty side of an Eiswein (no wonder as this wine ha

$420

$405ea in any 3+

$390ea in any 6+

A.J.Adam Dhroner Hofberg Kabinett Riesling 2017

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

The guys from Mosel Fine Wines have nailed it! This is superb. When you listen to Andreas speak of the unique cooler climate of the site this all makes sense. Andreas and Barbara have achieved outstanding balance here. The vinosity with 8.5% alcohol is there, not always the case with young Rizza from this neck of the woods. The clean, refreshing acidity plays beautifully with the moderate residual sugar. Lythe with a divine set of flavours it's fantastic to see this a couple of years on and it w

$66

$63ea in any 3+

$60ea in any 6+

A.J.Adam Dhroner Häs’chen Kabinett Riesling 2017

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

A fascinating comparison to the Hofberg. An edge of reduction a la Prüm's Graacher Kabinett on openning. A little more richness comes across here by comparision with the Hofberg. The balance and vinosity making for a complete wine loaded with personality. The MFW guys have nailed it. Chuck it in a decanter to get it moving! AP 11.18 The 2017er Dhroner Häs’chen Kabinett was harvested at 85° Oechsle. Still marked by residues of spontaneous fermentation at first, it delivers a gorgeou

$73

$70ea in any 3+

$67ea in any 6+

A.J.Adam Dhroner Hofberg Spätlese Riesling 2017

Riesling | Mosel, Germany

AP 12.18 The 2017er Dhroner Hofberg Spätlese was harvested at 92° Oechsle in a prime parcel planted in the 1950s. It delivers a beautiful nose of whipped cream, vineyard peach, smoke, almond, earl grey and yellow plum. The wine offers great, almost concentrated presence on the mid-palate, yet a juicy and racy kick of acidity adds layers upon layers of freshness and intensity to the finish. This is a great success! 2027-2047 Jean Fisch & David Rayer, Mosel Fine Wines 94 Points

$93

$89ea in any 3+

$85ea in any 6+

Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese** 2017

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

Gold Cap - Fruchtsüss! A richer and nobly sweet style of Riesling. "The 2017 Riesling Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese ** (Golden Capsule) displays a concentrated yet highly refined bouquet of orange, lemon and grapefruit aromas intermixed with delicate and refreshing slate notes. Lush, piquant and salty on the elegant, pure, even weightless palate, this is a crystalline Auslese with great finesse, grip, tension and highly stimulating salinity. This is a finessed, gorgeous beauty, and it almost ma

$115

$110ea in any 3+

$105ea in any 6+

Alsace Dry

Divine, Pure, Delicious!

Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune Riesling MAG 2017

Riesling | France, Alsace

Ask any Riesling tragic the Top 5 Rieslings in the World & they'll have Clos Sainte Hune on their list! Each region around the world has epic producers, in Alsace you think of Albert Mann, Zind Humbrecht, Ostertag and always Trimbach. Trimbach has certainly had plenty of practice. In only nine years they’ll celebrate the families 400thyear making wine! The first celebrated release of Clos Ste Hune was in 1919. "Vivid straw-green with gold highlights. Highly aromatic on the nose, revealing

$1,390

$1370ea in any 3+

$1350ea in any 6+

Alsace Off Dry

OFF-DRY

Domaine Marcel Deiss 1er Cru ‘Burg’ 2017

White Blend | Alsace, France

Premier Cru action from Deiss! A blend of 12 Alsatian Varieties! I haven't had the chance to try this yet. Given the rest of the 2017 are looking great this should be excellent too. D'Agata's note below if for the 2012. (a mixture of all the usual Alsace varieties, with a predominance of Gewürtzraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris): Bright golden straw-yellow. The opulent nose features marmalady botrytis, honeyed tropical fruit and and sweet spice aromas. Densely packed, intense and showy, with

$138

$133ea in any 3+

$128ea in any 6+

OFF-DRY

Domaine Marcel Deiss 1er Cru ‘Grasberg’ 2017

White Blend | Alsace, France

Premier Cru action from Deiss! Riesling ~ Pinot Gris ~ Gewurztraminer I haven't had the chance to try this yet. Given the rest of the 2017 are looking great this should be excellent too. Notes from the last Grasberg I drank: Something quite special here. A unique wine of immense character. The botrytis play with spice, fresh apricot and almond / marzipan sits delicately with citrus, flowers, grapefruit and beyond. Off dry it sits balanced, with fresh acidity dancing over the light sweetnes

$138

$133ea in any 3+

$128ea in any 6+

Austria Dry

Schloss Gobelsburg Tradition Heritage Cuvée 3 Years Edition 850 NV

White Blend | Kamptal, Austria

Following on from the epic 50 year version of this wine, Michael Moosbruger plans to now release both a 3 year and 10 year version annually. Read more of the technique below. The Cuvée 3 Years Edition 850 is a blend of : Vintage: 85% 2018, 10% 2017, 5% 2016 Grapes: 80% Grüner Veltliner, 20% Riesling This is an epic wine of intensity yet delicacy. Perfumed with incredible complexity and a seamless mouthfeel. Entrancing, divine wine that require deep thought and patience to make. Soft

$100

$95ea in any 3+

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Gunderloch 2019's

What a Difference 3 Year Makes!

Gunderloch Jean Baptiste Riesling Kabinett 2019

Riesling | Rheinhessen, Germany

I love seeing Kabinett styles from the different regions of Germany. Gunderloch's from the Rheinhessen is an absolute cracker! So playful. This is an excellent wine. Complex with beautiful acid, a divine texture. Delicious. A beautiful expression. Compared to the Kabinett of Loosen in the Mosel you see and extra 2.5% alcohol, half the residual sugar and 1.5g/L less acid yet both are balanced. The extra fermentation raising the alcohol adds vinosity and more immediate approachability to the wine.

$42

$40ea in any 3+

$38ea in any 6+

Gunderloch Als Wär’s Ein Stück Von Mir Riesling 2019

Riesling | Rheinhessen, Germany

A previous vintage of this wine was Johannes' 1st chance to make a wine on his own. Its success marked the changing of the baton from his father who granted him full control of all winemaking after tasting it! This was my note from the 2018 - Excellent personality, so much going on. Texturally insane. Great core of fruit. No sulphur to the juice allows the phenolics from the skin contact to oxidise and fall out leaving just the right amount of phenolic grip from the few days of skin contact the

$47

$45ea in any 3+

$43ea in any 6+

Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothenberg Riesling Spätlese 2019

Riesling | Rheinhessen, Germany

A juicy wine for the category with plenty of cassis character, but that doesn’t mean it’s really full-bodied. In fact, at the finish it’s quite a light and austere wine with a lot of herbal and green-leaf tea flavors. Drink or hold. Stuart Piggot

$78

$74ea in any 3+

$70ea in any 6+

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92 MFW

Willi Schaefer Graacher Feinherb Riesling 2019

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

From Himmelreich. After some air, delicate notes of green apple, grapefruit, lime and white peach kick in and add to the overall feel of freshness and tightness. Superbly balanced on the palate, where some creamy and lightly fruity elements are superbly wrapped into zest and spices. It leaves a dry-tasting rather than fully off-dry feel in the magnificently long, pure and vibrating finish. This great example of a light-footed, just off-dry wine has depth and concentration. This great success�

$61

$58ea in any 3+

$55ea in any 6+

Max Ferdinand Richter Brauneberger-Juffer Kabinett 2020

Riesling | Mosel, Germany

"AP: 08 21. The 2020er Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett was made from fruit picked at 80° Oechsle on 50-year-old vines and was fermented down to fruity-styled levels of residual sugar (45 g/l). It offers a gorgeous nose made of white peach, herbs, and fine spices. The wine feels slightly sweet on the palate at first before a great feel of citrusy zest lifts up the flavors in the finish. The aftertaste is simply stunning, being at the same time light-footed, gorgeously racy, mouthwatering,

$61

$58ea in any 3+

$55ea in any 6+

Selbach Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Kabinett 2019

Riesling | Mosel, Germany

"The 2019 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett is bright, precise and elegant on the complex, refined, beautifully clear and flinty nose. Lush, refined and salty-piquant on the palate, this is a salty, crunchy and stimulating Kabinett with a long and intense finish. Bottled with 9.5% alcohol and 60 grams of residual sugar." Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advcoate

$63

$60ea in any 3+

$57ea in any 6+

Selbach Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Kabinett 2019

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

"The 2019 Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Kabinett is pure and flinty on the pure, elegant, terroir-driven nose. Piquant and crystalline on the palate, this is a crunchy and crispy, well-concentrated and nicely phenolic Schlossberg with juicy fruit but a crystalline and refined finish. Very long and stimulatingly salty." Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advcoate

$63

$60ea in any 3+

$57ea in any 6+

93 MFW 93 SR

Willi Schaefer Graacher Feinherb Riesling 2021

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

AP: 07 22. The 2021er Graacher Riesling Feinherb is an off-dry wine made from fruit harvested mainly in the Himmelreich. It offers a beautifully fresh and minty nose of wet sone, stone fruit, lozenge, white peach, lime, and lime tree. The wine has great energy and presence on the palate, while the wine maintains a great sense of airiness and lightness. The finish is beautifully long and focused and leaves an already dry and sharp taste of spices and fine herbs. This is a truly remarkable dry-tas

$64

$61ea in any 3+

$58ea in any 6+

Julian Haart Mosel Riesling 2020

Riesling | Mosel, Germany

Made primarily from Goldtröpchen fruit, with some grapes sourced from two more elevated vineyards, delicate playful fun dry Rizza, juicy with zippy acid. Hints of musk earthiness and a couple of savoury pops. This is very clever stuff. Nicely developed for an entry level wine it’s excellent. When you drink concentrate on the mouthfeel, the shape of the wine as it flows across your palate and clean finish.

$65

$62ea in any 3+

$59ea in any 6+

92+ MFW

A.J.Adam Dhroner Hofberg Kabinett Riesling 2021

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

AP: 19 22. The 2021er Hofberg Kabinett, as it is referred to on the consumer label, was made from fruit harvested at approx. 79° Oechsle in the backside of the main hill of the vineyard and was fermented down to fruity-styled levels of residual sugar (45 g/l). It proves quite restrained and smoky at first, and shows a rather herbal and earthy nose of wet slate, minty herbs, thyme, cinnamon, and anise. The wine is still quite compact on the palate and displays spices and herbs, before it all giv

$65

$62ea in any 3+

$59ea in any 6+

Markus Molitor Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese 2017

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

Gold Cap - Fruchtsüss! A richer and nobly sweet style of Riesling. This is another of many effusively floral Molitor 2017s. Heliotrope, honeysuckle and lily deliver a heady bouquet, with greenhouse-like suggestions of foliage wafting in the background. A creamy palate delivers softly ripe banana and Golden Delicious apple along with inner-mouth perfume, all of which are complemented by overt but by no means excessive sweetness. Happily, there is more juiciness and animation to the finish than

$66

$63ea in any 3+

$60ea in any 6+

A.J.Adam Dhroner Hofberg Kabinett Riesling 2017

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

The guys from Mosel Fine Wines have nailed it! This is superb. When you listen to Andreas speak of the unique cooler climate of the site this all makes sense. Andreas and Barbara have achieved outstanding balance here. The vinosity with 8.5% alcohol is there, not always the case with young Rizza from this neck of the woods. The clean, refreshing acidity plays beautifully with the moderate residual sugar. Lythe with a divine set of flavours it's fantastic to see this a couple of years on and it w

$66

$63ea in any 3+

$60ea in any 6+

Max Ferdinand Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett 2020

Riesling | Mosel, Germany

"AP: 11 21. The 2020er Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett was made from fruit picked at 78° Oechsle on up to 100-year-old un-grafted vines and was fermented down to fruity-styled levels of residual sugar (48 g/l). It offers a superb nose made of white flower, smoky elements, herbs, white flowers, and fine spices. The wine is subtly creamy yet so incredibly light-footed on the palate. Loads of minerals, floral flavors, and finely spicy elements add to the incredibly playful presence. The finis

$68

$65ea in any 3+

$62ea in any 6+

Fritz Haag Riesling Braunberger-Juffer Kabinett 2019

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

The 2019er Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett was made from fruit picked at moderate Oechsle degrees, and was fermented down to fruity-styled levels of residual sugar. It offers a gorgeous nose made of white peach, red berry fruits, herbs, and fine spices. The wine is beautifully lively and delicately fruity on the palate, where a hint of whipped cream adds class to this beautifully racy wine. The finish is all about multi-layered flavors of lemon, whipped cream, floral elements, and mouthw

$70

$67ea in any 3+

$64ea in any 6+

Fritz Haag Riesling Braunberger-Juffer Sonnenuhr Auslese 375ml 2019

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

Highly refined on the nose and shows delicately aromatic fruit with a nose -tickling minerality of crushed stones and herbs. Round and juicy as well as highly finessed and salty on the palate, this is a fantasti c sweet Riesling. It is so fine and filigreed, so delicate and salty that you don't taste any sweetness here—just a dream of the finest Mosel Riesling. This is dangerously good, piquant and tensioned, and you will drink a bottle far too quickly. An outrageous Auslese! Drink 2026-2060

$70

$67ea in any 3+

$64ea in any 6+

Max Ferdinand Richter Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese 375ml 2017

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

Yes! Stunning gear. I think the guys from Mosel Fine Wines calling it and Auslese Lange GK style is bang on. Lange GK = Long Gold Capsule and reference to the Reserve of the Reserve wines in Aussie vernacular. Give this 10-20 years and you'll be climbing a stairway to heaven! The 2017er Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese was harvested at well over 110° Oechsle. It offers a very classy and elegant nose of apricot blossom, whipped cream, almond, smoke and fine herbs. The wine proves highly

$71

$68ea in any 3+

$65ea in any 6+

A.J.Adam Dhroner Häs’chen Kabinett Riesling 2017

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

A fascinating comparison to the Hofberg. An edge of reduction a la Prüm's Graacher Kabinett on openning. A little more richness comes across here by comparision with the Hofberg. The balance and vinosity making for a complete wine loaded with personality. The MFW guys have nailed it. Chuck it in a decanter to get it moving! AP 11.18 The 2017er Dhroner Häs’chen Kabinett was harvested at 85° Oechsle. Still marked by residues of spontaneous fermentation at first, it delivers a gorgeou

$73

$70ea in any 3+

$67ea in any 6+

Max Ferdinand Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese 2019

Riesling | Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

"From 80- to 90+-year-old vines in the original plot below the sundial, the 2019 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese is very precise and fresh on the flinty, slatey and crisp fruit bouquet. Juicy-piquant and sweet on the palate, this is a tight and crispy, very intense yet still sulfuric Spätlese from a really great terroir. The fruit is still fresh and precise and was picked together with the dry GG selection, which is picked from the inner part with a higher acidity, whereas the Spätlese i

$74

$71ea in any 3+

$68ea in any 6+

Max Ferdinand Richter Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese HALF 2019

Riesling | Mosel, Germany

"The 2019er Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese was made from partially botrytized fruit (1/3) picked at 115° Oechsle, and was fermented down to noble-sweet levels of residual sugar (125 g/l). It offers a gorgeous nose made of elderflower, cassis, white peach, coconut, almond paste, fresh pineapple, and loads of citrusy and minty elements. The wine proves stunningly tactile and subtle on the palate, where delicately creamy fruits mingle with ripe yet gorgeously juicy acidity. The finish is al

$74

$71ea in any 3+

$68ea in any 6+