Each post in our 5 to Try series showcases five examples of stellar wines from varying wine styles, grapes, and Germany’s 13 winegrowing regions. The list below lays out a few lusciously sweet – yet perfectly balanced – late harvest Rieslings!
Adapting along with evolving consumer preferences, most German Riesling produced today is vinified bone-dry – In fact, over 60% of all wine made in Germany is classified as dry or off-dry. Yet the super versatile grape is also capable of creating stunning sweeter style wines, and Germany’s expressions of sweet Rieslings are among the world’s most coveted.
Balancing Act
There’s a number of reasons Germany’s sweeter wines stand out from any other winemaking region, but a key factor is acidity.
Think of lemonade – Without sugar, you’d be drinking sour lemon juice. And without the lemon’s zippy citrus, it would be way too sweet. What makes lemonade so refreshing is the perfect balance between that sweetness and acidity. Same goes for Riesling!
Among the most northerly winegrowing areas in the world, Germany’s cooler climate allows Riesling to enjoy an optimal long growing season, imbuing the grapes with well-balanced acidity over time. German Riesling’s characteristic citrus and orchard fruit flavors keep sweeter or late-harvest styles from tasting overly cloying, creating a complex and invigorating beverage that can be enjoyed with a range of foods or as a stand alone sip.
Late Harvest Lexicon
We often refer to sweeter styles of Riesling as “late-harvest,” because the grapes for these wines are often left on the vines to ripen further after the main harvest begins. The longer grapes ripen, the more sugar content develops in the grapes.
In order from least-ripe to most-ripe, these terms on a label of German Riesling indicate the grapes’ ripeness at harvest, and can help indicate the wine’s sweetness: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Eiswein
Select a Spätlese for just a touch of fruity sweetness (excellent with spicy food!) or collect a coveted Trockenbeerenauslese or Eiswein for a honey-like dessert wine!
(Note: Seek out slightly aged bottles or stow these away for an even more mesmerizing tasting experience later! Late Harvest German Riesling has unmatched aging potential when it comes to white wines!)
1. Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese, Nahe
Find near you: Wine-Searcher.com
2. Schloss Schönborn Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Riesling Spätlese, Rheingau
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3. Knebel Winninger Röttgen Riesling Auslese, Mosel
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4. Geil Bechtheimer Hasensprung Riesling Beerenauslese, Rheinhessen
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5. Schloss Reinhartshausen Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Rheingau
Find Schloss Reinhartshausen wines near you: Wine-Searcher.com
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