Riesling

Question 1

What type of climate does Riesling need?

Answer 1

Cool to moderate

Question 2

What sweetness levels is Riesling suited to producing?

Answer 2

All sweetness levels (dry, off-dry, medium, sweet)

Question 3

What primary aromas would you expect from Riesling made with grapes that are just ripe?

Answer 3

green fruit (apple, pear), citrus (lemon, lime) and floral (blossom)

Question 4

What primary aromas would you expect from Riesling made with grapes that are extra ripe?

Answer 4

stone fruit (peach, apricot), tropical fruit (mango, pineapple) sometimes even dried fruit (dried apricot)

Question 5

Why is Riesling well-suited to wines made with late harvested grapes and other sugar concentrating methods like botrytis and frozen grapes?

Answer 5

It’s high natural acidity balances high levels of sweetness

Question 6

What 2 methods are typically used when producing Riesling wines in off-dry or medium styles?

Answer 6

-interrupting the fermentation by removing yeast (low alcohol wines with residual sugar)
-adding unfermented grape juice to a finished wine

Question 7

What is the name of unfermented grape juice which is added to a finished wine to add sweetness called in Germany?

Answer 7

Süssreserve

Question 8

What types of vessels are typically used for fermentation of Riesling? Why?

Answer 8

Inert vessels. To preserve the floral aromas of Riesling.

Question 9

Why can the finest Riesling age for decades in bottle?

Answer 9

High natural acidity

Question 10

Name some flavours associated with aged Riesling.

Answer 10

Honey, petrol (gasoline)

Question 11

True or false: Riesling is the most important grape variety in Germany.

Answer 11

True

Question 12

Name the 3 German regions you must know for WSET Level 2 in Wines.

Answer 12

Mosel
Rheingau
Pfalz

Question 13

True or false: Mosel is Germany’s wine region with the most southerly latitude.

Answer 13

False. It has the most northerly latitude.

Question 14

What is the common sweetness level of Mosel Riesling?

Answer 14

Medium sweetness to balance out very high natural acidity (due to northerly latitude)

Question 15

True or false: The best vineyards of the Mosel are planted on steep north or north west facing slopes.

Answer 15

False.
Mosel is in the northern hemisphere, therefore north or north-west facing would be facing away from the equator and would not be beneficial for grape ripening.

Question 16

How will the stony soils in the Mosel be beneficial?

Answer 16

Radiate heat back into the vineyard and help ripen grapes.

Question 17

How will the Mosel river be beneficial to grape ripening in the Mosel wine region?

Answer 17

Rivers help moderate the climate and reflect sunlight back into the vineyard.

Question 18

True of false: Riesling wines from the Rheingau are typically sweeter than a typical Mosel Riesling.

Answer 18

False.
They are typically drier and have more body.

Question 19

True or false: Riesling wines from Pfalz are typically dry and medium-bodied.

Answer 19

True

Question 20

Which French wine region, which also produces Riesling, can Pfalz be considered a climatic extension of?

Answer 20

Alsace

Question 21

Name the PGI of Germany.

Answer 21

Landwein

Question 22

Name the PDO of Germany.

Answer 22

Prädikatswein

Question 23

True of false: Much of Germany’ labelling terminology is based around how dry or high sweet the final wine is.

Answer 23

False.
It is based around the degree of ripeness in the grapes at time of harvest, measured in terms of sugar levels.

Question 24

Which of these is typically lightest in body: Landwein or Qualitätswein?

Answer 24

Landwein

Question 25

True or false: A wine labelled Qualitätswein must come from one of Germany’s 13 winegrowing areas and must achieve a higher level of grape ripeness than Landwein.

Answer 25

True

Question 26

Which of these has a higher minimum level of sugar in the grapes: Qualitätswein or Prädikatswein?

Answer 26

Prädikatswein

Question 27

Name the 6 Prädikat categories in order of level of sugar in the grapes at time of harvest (lowest to highest).

Answer 27

Kabinett
Spätlese
Auslese
Eiswein
Beerenauslese
Trockenbeerenauslese
(note: Eiswein and Beerenauslese require the same minimum level of sugar in the grapes at time of harvest)

Question 28

Which 2 Prädikat categories are made with botrytis affected grapes?

Answer 28

Beerenauslese
Trockenbeerenauslese

Question 29

Which Prädikat category is made with frozen grapes?

Answer 29

Eiswein

Question 30

Which Prädikat categories always produce sweet wines?

Answer 30

Eiswein
Beerenauslese
Trockenbeerenauslese

Question 31

Which Prädikat category has the lightest and most delicate wines?

Answer 31

Kabinett

Question 32

Which Prädikat category, which translates to “selected dried berry harvest”, is made with individually selected berries that have been dried through the effect of botrytis, resulting in concentrated wines?

Answer 32

Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA)

Question 33

Which Prädikat will have riper and more concentrated fruit flavours and fuller body than Kabinett from the same region?

Answer 33

Spätlese

Question 34

What labelling term can appear on a German wine label to indicated to the consumer that the wine is dry?

Answer 34

Trocken

Question 35

What does the word “Halbtrocken” on a wine label in Germany indicate?

Answer 35

The wine has some sweetness

Question 36

Which wine region, which produces Riesling, has some of the sunniest and driest growing conditions in France?

Answer 36

Alsace

Question 37

Describe a typical Alsace Riesling (sweetness, acidity, body, flavours)

Answer 37

Dry
High acidity
Medium body
Ripe citrus and stone fruit flavours

Question 38

Name 2 Australian wine regions in South Australia which are known for producing dry Riesling with high acidity and aromas of lime, lemon and sometimes petrol (gasoline).

Answer 38

Eden Valley
Clare Valley