Riesling on the Rise   4 Jun 2009

Bob Campbell

Riesling is a favourite of wine experts across the world, yet many consumers turn up their nose at the varietal. Master of Wine Bob Campbell is on hand to help these “anything but” drinkers overcome their objections and discover the charms of New Zealand Rieslings.

I love Riesling. It puzzles me why everyone doesn’t share my passion. According to several wine retailers, Riesling is a hard sell. “Riesling is one of those mysterious wine styles that most people don’t get,” explained one savvy seller. “But when they do get it they’re totally hooked,” he added.

Most winemakers, wine retailers and wine critics love Riesling. If the experts drink it why don’t the majority of wine drinkers follow suit? I asked a wide number of people who drink “anything but Riesling” why they turn their back on the white wine that most wine experts rate as their favourite.

The majority complain that Riesling is simply too sweet. A number said that buying Riesling was a lottery. “I quite like medium/dry Riesling but when I try to choose something new it’s either too dry or too sweet. I’ve given up on Riesling and now drink Pinot Gris instead,” explained one disgruntled ex-Riesling lover. The comments of a few suggested to me that they simply hadn’t tasted a good Riesling.

If you agree with any of those statements, don’t give up on Riesling. I can help. Read on and prepare to be converted.

Objection No1: “Riesling is too sweet.” Riesling has a naturally high level of acidity. That makes it a good food wine. Winemakers often try to balance the acidity in Riesling with a little unfermented grape sugar. However, while it’s true that Riesling often has a little sweetness, there are many good, bone-dry examples.

Many (but not all) makers of dry Riesling label their wines as “Dry Riesling” although, sadly, they’re not always bone-dry. In my recent tasting of 172 Rieslings submitted by winemakers and wine importers I found 57 truly dry wines. If one-third of all Rieslings are truly dry then Riesling is not too sweet.

Objection No2: “I can’t choose a Riesling when I don’t know how sweet or dry it is.” I have some sympathy for this complaint. My local wine store carries 37 different Rieslings. Nine of them show some indication of sweetness level on the front label. Even when there is an indication of sweetness it may not be reliable. A number of wines I classified as “medium/dry” were labelled as “dry”.

But help is at hand. A new organisation called “The International Riesling Foundation” (IRF) has devised a set of rules to classify Riesling into four categories: dry, medium dry, medium sweet and sweet. The calculation is quite technical, using residual sugar, total acidity and pH to arrive at a level of sweetness.

I asked every producer and importer who sent in wines for my tasting to supply the technical information which would allow me to group them in the four categories according to sweetness levels -  dry, medium/dry, medium/sweet, and sweet.

The system is not perfect but it does provide independent criteria for Riesling sweetness that I found to be pretty reliable. In time the IRF hopes that producers will adopt their recommendation and declare sweetness level on the label.





Objection No3: “I’ve never had a really good Riesling.”
This one’s easy. My list of winners below are the very best and very best value wines from one of New Zealand’s largest tastings of Riesling. Pick any of the wines I recommend and you’ll enjoy good Riesling. Objection overcome.

DRY RIESLING
Buy an Australian or Austrian Riesling and there’s a good chance that it will be dry. Choose a German Riesling with “Trocken” on the label and it will be dry (“Halb-Trocken” means medium/dry). It’s trickier in New Zealand where a growing minority of Rieslings are dry, although many are labelled accordingly.
If you only like dry white wine or you plan to match the wine with food where any sweetness might be a problem choose a wine from the list below.
*All prices in New Zealand dollars.

Best wines
93 Craggy Range 2008 Te Muna Road Riesling, Martinborough ($25.95)
Bone-dry with good cellaring potential.
91 Mt Difficulty 2008 Dry Riesling, Central Otago ($24.95)
As pure as Central Otago mountain air.
91 Felton Road 2008 Dry Riesling, Central Otago ($30.00)
A top wine in any vintage.
90 Craggy Range 2008 Fletcher Family Vineyard Riesling, Marlborough ($28.00)
Strong mineral/slate characters.
90 Huia 2008 Riesling Marlborough ($29.00)
Top wine from a consistently classy maker.

Best under NZD$20
86 Isabel 2007 Dry Riesling Marlborough ($19.00)
Serious Riesling at a bargain price.

MEDIUM DRY
This is my favourite category. The best wines have a little sweetness that is perfectly balanced by fine, tangy acidity. A reaction between the two creates “tension” or “energy” in the wine (the French call it “nervosité”). A Riesling that achieves some level of tension can be truly exciting. In fact I’d go as far as saying that every good Riesling in this category does have tension.
These wines make a great match with spicy foods that have a little underlying sweetness, although the sweetness in the food (as in the wine) may be subliminal. Thai curries are a good example.

Best wines
93 Forrest Estate 2006 John Forrest Collection Riesling Marlborough ($50.00)   
Top quality comes at a price.
93 Forrest Estate 2005 John Forrest Collection Riesling Marlborough ($50.00)
Proving that Forrest can make a winner every vintage.
91 Pegasus Bay 2008 Bel Canto Dry Riesling Waipara
Concentrated wine with attitude.
88 Woollaston 2008 Riesling Nelson ($19.00)
Best value wine in the tasting.
88 Amisfield 2008 Dry Riesling Central Otago ($30.00)
Complex, sophisticated wine from Central Otago.

Best value wines
86 Astrolabe 2008 Grovetown Riesling Marlborough ($18.95)
Classy Riesling bursting with energy.
86 Hay Maker 2008 Riesling Waipara ($19.00)
Gold medal winner at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards.

MEDIUM SWEET
Moving up the sweetness scale, these wines also have higher levels of acidity to balance sweetness. Sweetness will be evident when you first taste them but that soon begins to fade as acidity builds in the mouth leaving a dry-ish or perhaps medium dry finish in many cases.
These wines make a fairly strong statement. I like them without the complication of food but they can also be enjoyed with spicy or lightly sweet dishes.

Best wines
95 Mt Difficulty 2008 Target Gully Riesling, Central Otago ($24.95)
No surprise, my favourite Central Otago Riesling.
94 Mt Difficulty 2008 Late Harvest Single Vineyard Long Gully Riesling, Central Otago ($34.95)
Super classy single vineyard wine.
94 Amisfield 2007 Lowburn Terrace Riesling, Central Otago ($35.00)
Distinctive wine – a real star.
93 Craggy Range 2008 Glasnevin Gravels Riesling, Waipara ($25.95)
About as good as Waipara Riesling gets.
93 Fromm 2007 Spaetlese Riesling, Marlborough ($27.00)
Fromm pioneered low alcohol sweet Riesling in this country

Best value wines
85 Terrace Edge 2008 Riesling, Waipara ($19.00)
Wonderfully pure, at the drier end of the scale.
85 Main Divide 2007 Riesling, Waipara ($19.95)
Second label price, first label quality.

SWEET
As sweetness level rises alcohol level falls – the sensation of sweetness is generated by unfermented grape sugar so less of the sugar has been converted to alcohol. While the average alcohol level of dry wines in this tasting was nearly 13 percent, the average in this category is almost as low as 9 percent. Choose a Riesling with an alcohol level of 10.5 percent  vol. or less and you can almost guarantee it will be fairly sweet.
You’re unlikely to be able to buy these wines in the UK. EU regulations prevent the import of any wine from New Zealand that’s made from grapes harvested at sweetness levels above 15oBrix - effectively creating a trade barrier against all seriously sweet wines.
These wines really need to be matched with sweet dishes. However all will be enhanced with a block of good blue cheese.


Best wines
96 Felton Road 2008 Block 1 Riesling Central Otago ($38.00)
Almost as collectible as it is drinkable.
94 Pegasus Bay 2007 Aria Late Picked Riesling Waipara ($35.95)
My long-time favourite sweet Riesling.
93 Spy Valley 2008 Envoy Riesling Marlborough ($28.90)
Great sweet Riesling at a bargain price.

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