How to pour
a riesling in
Place the bottle in the refrigerator for about three hours, so the wine reaches 8 to 10 degrees. A sweeter riesling can be served at the lower end of that range, a dry one at the higher end. Serving either one ice-cold masks the aroma.
Much riesling comes with a screw cap, precisely because the wine should retain its freshness. If it has a cork, cut around the capsule just below the ridge of the neck, place the spiral in the center of the cork, and turn it straight down.
Decanting isn’t necessary. The acidity and aroma of riesling will develop on their own, and extra air adds little. Do place the bottle in an ice bucket with water and ice beside the table; temperature makes more difference to this wine than aeration.
Pour until the glass is about one-third full. This leaves room for the aroma, which is a large part of the story with riesling, and keeping the amount in the glass low keeps the wine cool. It’s better to top up with a small amount more often.
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The story
Riesling is associated with the cool wine regions of Germany. Along the Mosel, the vines grow on steep slate slopes that capture the little sunlight and retain the warmth; in the Rheingau and the Palatinate, the climate is slightly milder and the wines are fuller. Because the grape ripens late and retains its acidity, a winemaker has a choice: harvest early and ferment the wine dry, or wait and leave some of the sugar in the wine. That choice is the whole story of riesling. Outside Germany, it is mainly grown in Alsace and Austria, where it is usually made dry.
The right glass
Riesling is best served in a glass with a narrow bowl. The wine has little need for air and a great need for coolness: the less surface area exposed to the air, the longer its temperature and acidity stay intact. A narrow bowl also directs the floral and citrus notes more directly toward your nose, while a wide bowl lets them disperse. Check the sizes in the white wine glasses collection; if the bottle stays on the table, a wine cooler is at least as important.
Luigi Bormioli Grandioso Wine Glass 37 cl Sauvignon-Riesling (6 pieces)
Schott Zwiesel Classico White Wine Glass 31.2 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 96,90.
The right tools
For riesling, besides the glass, you mainly need a corkscrew, although much riesling comes with a screw cap, and a wine cooler to keep the bottle at the right temperature. You use the bar tools below when the wine goes into a spritz: a bar spoon for stirring and a jigger for measuring. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 74,85.
What do you serve alongside it?
Riesling comes in so many styles that it can carry an entire meal, but usually there is more on the table. These are the wines that come alongside or afterward, from a glass of crémant to start to a moscato with dessert. On each drinks page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
The range is in the label. Trocken is dry, halbtrocken is off-dry, and feinherb is not a legally defined term but is used for wines that are just slightly sweeter than halbtrocken. The Prädikat scale also runs from kabinett via spätlese and auslese to beerenauslese, trockenbeerenauslese and eiswein. These terms indicate how ripe the grapes were at harvest, not automatically how sweet the wine is: a spätlese can be trocken. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Serve at 8 to 10 degrees and keep the bottle in a cooler. Riesling is the wine that beats red wine with spicy Asian food: residual sweetness tempers the heat of chili, while the acidity cuts through fat, and tannins in red wine actually intensify the spiciness. It also pairs well with pork, smoked fish and dishes containing ginger or lemongrass.
Good to know
What trocken, halbtrocken and feinherb mean
Trocken means dry: almost no sugar remains in the wine. Halbtrocken means off-dry, with noticeable but limited residual sweetness. Feinherb is not a legally defined designation; producers use it for wines that taste just slightly sweeter than halbtrocken. If none of these terms appears on the label, the wine can fall anywhere on the spectrum, and the Prädikat tells you more.
The Prädikat scale from kabinett to eiswein
Kabinett, spätlese, auslese, beerenauslese, trockenbeerenauslese and eiswein are listed in order of how ripe the grapes were at harvest, measured by the sugar content of the juice. Kabinett is the lightest; auslese is made from selected ripe bunches, while beerenauslese and trockenbeerenauslese are made from individually selected, shrivelled berries. Eiswein is harvested and pressed while the grapes are frozen on the vine. A higher position in the sequence usually means sweeter, but a dry spätlese certainly exists.
Sourness against residual sweetness
Riesling naturally retains a lot of acidity. If sugar remains in the wine, that sugar balances the acidity, so the wine feels taut rather than syrupy. The same combination makes Riesling age well: acidity and sugar both act as preservatives, allowing good bottles to last for years or even decades.
The petrol note during aging
Older Riesling can smell of petroleum or kerosene. That may sound strange, but it is a well-known and appreciated characteristic of the grape; it comes from an aroma compound that forms during bottle aging. Young Riesling has little or none of this note, and how pronounced it becomes varies by bottle and region.
How much alcohol it contains
It varies considerably. A light Mosel Riesling with residual sweetness often contains roughly 7.5 to 9 percent alcohol, because some of the sugar has not fermented. Dry Riesling from the Palatinate, Alsace or Austria usually contains roughly 11.5 to 13 percent. The percentage is stated on the label.
Frequently asked questions
Is Riesling sweet or dry?
Both, and everything in between. That is precisely the characteristic of the grape. On German labels, trocken means dry, halbtrocken means off-dry and feinherb means slightly sweeter than halbtrocken. The Prädikat scale from Kabinett to Eiswein indicates how ripe the grapes were; higher on the scale usually means sweeter, but not always.
Where does Riesling come from?
Riesling is a German grape variety. The best-known regions are the Mosel, Rheingau and Palatinate. Outside Germany, it is mainly grown in Alsace and Austria, where it is usually made dry. Mosel Riesling has the lowest alcohol content, while the Palatinate and Alsace produce fuller-bodied wines.
At what temperature and in what glass should you serve Riesling?
Between 8 and 10 degrees, in a glass with a narrow bowl. The narrow shape keeps the wine cool and directs the floral and citrus notes toward your nose. A wide Burgundy bowl lets the aroma disperse and the wine warm up faster.
Why does Riesling pair with spicy Asian food?
The residual sweetness offsets the heat of chili, while the high acidity cuts through rich or sweet sauces. Tannin in red wine does the opposite and makes a spicy dish seem even hotter. That is why a halbtrocken or feinherb Riesling often works better with Thai, Indian or Sichuan food than red wine.
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