Riesling Flashcards
What type of climate does Riesling need?
Cool to moderate
What sweetness levels is Riesling suited to producing?
All sweetness levels (dry, off-dry, medium, sweet)
What primary aromas would you expect from Riesling made with grapes that are just ripe?
green fruit (apple, pear), citrus (lemon, lime) and floral (blossom)
What primary aromas would you expect from Riesling made with grapes that are extra ripe?
stone fruit (peach, apricot), tropical fruit (mango, pineapple) sometimes even dried fruit (dried apricot)
Why is Riesling well-suited to wines made with late harvested grapes and other sugar concentrating methods like botrytis and frozen grapes?
It’s high natural acidity balances high levels of sweetness
What 2 methods are typically used when producing Riesling wines in off-dry or medium styles?
-interrupting the fermentation by removing yeast (low alcohol wines with residual sugar)
-adding unfermented grape juice to a finished wine
What is the name of unfermented grape juice which is added to a finished wine to add sweetness called in Germany?
Süssreserve
What types of vessels are typically used for fermentation of Riesling? Why?
Inert vessels. To preserve the floral aromas of Riesling.
Why can the finest Riesling age for decades in bottle?
High natural acidity
Name some flavours associated with aged Riesling.
Honey, petrol (gasoline)
True or false: Riesling is the most important grape variety in Germany.
True
Name the 3 German regions you must know for WSET Level 2 in Wines.
Mosel
Rheingau
Pfalz
True or false: Mosel is Germany’s wine region with the most southerly latitude.
False. It has the most northerly latitude.
What is the common sweetness level of Mosel Riesling?
Medium sweetness to balance out very high natural acidity (due to northerly latitude)
True or false: The best vineyards of the Mosel are planted on steep north or north west facing slopes.
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.
How will the stony soils in the Mosel be beneficial?
Radiate heat back into the vineyard and help ripen grapes.
How will the Mosel river be beneficial to grape ripening in the Mosel wine region?
Rivers help moderate the climate and reflect sunlight back into the vineyard.
True of false: Riesling wines from the Rheingau are typically sweeter than a typical Mosel Riesling.
False.
They are typically drier and have more body.
True or false: Riesling wines from Pfalz are typically dry and medium-bodied.
True
Which French wine region, which also produces Riesling, can Pfalz be considered a climatic extension of?
Alsace
Name the PGI of Germany.
Landwein
Name the PDO of Germany.
Prädikatswein
True of false: Much of Germany’ labelling terminology is based around how dry or high sweet the final wine is.
False.
It is based around the degree of ripeness in the grapes at time of harvest, measured in terms of sugar levels.
Which of these is typically lightest in body: Landwein or Qualitätswein?
Landwein
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.
True
Which of these has a higher minimum level of sugar in the grapes: Qualitätswein or Prädikatswein?
Prädikatswein
Name the 6 Prädikat categories in order of level of sugar in the grapes at time of harvest (lowest to highest).
Kabinett
Spätlese
Auslese
Eiswein
Beerenauslese
Trockenbeerenauslese
(note: Eiswein and Beerenauslese require the same minimum level of sugar in the grapes at time of harvest)
Which 2 Prädikat categories are made with botrytis affected grapes?
Beerenauslese
Trockenbeerenauslese
Which Prädikat category is made with frozen grapes?
Eiswein
Which Prädikat categories always produce sweet wines?
Eiswein
Beerenauslese
Trockenbeerenauslese
Which Prädikat category has the lightest and most delicate wines?
Kabinett
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?
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA)
Which Prädikat will have riper and more concentrated fruit flavours and fuller body than Kabinett from the same region?
Spätlese
What labelling term can appear on a German wine label to indicated to the consumer that the wine is dry?
Trocken
What does the word “Halbtrocken” on a wine label in Germany indicate?
The wine has some sweetness
Which wine region, which produces Riesling, has some of the sunniest and driest growing conditions in France?
Alsace
Describe a typical Alsace Riesling (sweetness, acidity, body, flavours)
Dry
High acidity
Medium body
Ripe citrus and stone fruit flavours
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).
Eden Valley
Clare Valley
