Chapter 12 - Riesling Flashcards
Describe the Riesling grape and the difference compared to Sav Blanc.
Aromatic white grape variety. Fruity and floral rather than herbaceous like SB
What flavours would you expect of ripe Riesling from cool climates?
If harvested when ripe rather than over ripe the wines have green fruit flavours wit floral notes and sometimes a hint of citrus fruit.
What happens with Riesling in moderate climates?
Citrus and stone fruits become more dominant and some wines can smell strongly of fresh lime or white peach.
Where is it possible to harvest late and what character in the grape allows this? What flavours develop?
In regions where there are stable dry sunny autumn conditions. It can be harvested late because it slowly builds up sugars whilst retaining acidity. Stone fruit and tropical fruit can develop. They are dry medium or sweet in style.
Other than late harvest, what else can bring sweetness?
Riesling is very susceptible to noble rot which concentrates sugars and acidity and makes it ideal for lusciously sweet wines.
What factors assist ageing and what flavours develop in aged Riesling? What sort of oak is used?
High acidity and intense fruit help age in the bottle where they develop honey and toast. Smoky petrol aromas sometimes appear. New oak is almost never used.
What are the main regions in Germany for Riesling? What kind of wines do they produce?
Mosel produces the lightest bodied Rieslings.
Rheingau is smaller and produces drier medium bodied wines.
Pfalz is large near Alsace and the areas of Forst and Deidsheim produce off dry medium bodied Riesling.
Rheinhessen is the largest region and produces some of the fullest bodied Rieslings.
Where are the most prestigious sites in Mosel?
On the very steep slopes surrounding the villages of Piesport and Bernkastel.
What are the classifications of Riesling in Germany?
Qualitätswein - basic Riesling usually light bodied dry fruity and refreshing. This category includes many of the best rieslings from Germany.
Prädikatswein - categorises based on sugar content in the grapes at the time of harvest. These vary according to their prädikat.
What are the categories in the Prädikatswein category? What does each indicate?
(Drier to sweeter)
Kabinett - light in body with high acidity and green fruit. Medium sweetness and light alcohol but can be dry with medium alcohol.
Spätlese (late harvest) - more body and notes of citrus and exotic fruit.
Auslese- even more body and exotic fruit. This is the highest category to appear as dry wine although most are either medium or sweet.
Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese - sweet wines made from Nobel rot affected grapes.
Eiswein- sweet wine made from frozen grapes, very concentrated sweet wine.
What does Grosses (or Erstes) Gewächs indicate?
High quality dry wine made from riper grapes (equivalent to Spätlese or qualitätswein) and the grapes must be from one of the best individual named vineyards
What other indication may appear on a German label?
The name of the village and vineyard area the grapes came from. However this area may refer to a single vineyard or a broader group of vineyards that may include lesser quality sites. So it is hard to distinguish from the label whether it is a premium single site or a larger one with lower quality.
What are the main region/s in france for Riesling? What features contribute to the success here?
Alsace in eastern france. The Vosges mountains to the west shelter the region from rain bearing winds. Vines planted on the eastern foothills benefit from the morning sun.
Long dry warm autumns provide ideal conditions for dry medium bodied Rieslings with green citrus and stone fruits. Full bodied late harvest wines are also made with more intense flavours and sometimes a hint of sweetness. Wide range of soil types.
What would you expect of an Alsace Riesling?
Differ markedly from one site to another even when the same winemaking techniques are made.
Long dry warm autumns provide ideal conditions for dry medium bodied Rieslings with green citrus and stone fruits. Full bodied late harvest wines are also made with more intense flavours and sometimes a hint of sweetness.
What is the ageing potential for Alsace Riesling and what flavours develop?
Best benefit greatly from bottle age and can last decades developing smoky, honeyed complexity often with petrol like aromas.
