Varietal Guide
Riesling
Reviewed by Morgan Dannels, Head Sommelier · Last updated May 14, 2026
Sip Tip
Riesling grapes have unusually high natural acidity that acts as a preservative, allowing well-made bottles to age for decades while slowly developing complex petrol-like aromas from a compound called TDN (trimethyl-dihydronaphthalene) that forms as the wine matures.
Riesling is one of the world's most food-friendly grapes. It covers the entire sweetness spectrum, from bone-dry through to intensely sweet, with firm, mouth-watering acidity as the constant across most every version. Riesling skips oak entirely because the goal is unadulterated fruit expression.
Germany is where Riesling originated and where it reaches its greatest diversity, from light Kabinett to concentrated noble-rot TBA. Alsace produces dry, fuller-bodied styles that develop smoky, honeyed complexity over decades of bottle age. Australia's Clare and Eden Valleys make bone-dry, lime-driven wines that can develop petrol character within just a few years. The biggest consumer misconception is that all Riesling is sweet, but many producers make dry wines, though the stereotype persists.
What does Riesling taste like?
Expect intense aromatics: flowers and crisp green apple dominate in cooler or drier expressions. Riper versions shift toward citrus, think lime and lemon, while sweeter wines bring out stone fruits such as peach and apricot. With bottle age, smoky, honeyed complexity emerges alongside a distinctive petrol or kerosene note, especially in warm-climate examples and wines with five or more years of cellaring.
Acidity runs high across most every style, which is what allows off-dry and sweet versions to feel fresh rather than cloying. Even the sweetest examples stay light to medium in body, never heavy.
What food pairs with Riesling?
Because it spans bone-dry to lusciously sweet and most always keeps firm acidity, Riesling can handle nearly any dish. Off-dry styles, with their touch of sugar and bright acid, are ideal for taming chilli heat: Thai curries, Sichuan dishes, and Indian food all shine. Dry Riesling is a natural fit for smoked fish and sushi. Sweet Riesling and foie gras is a time-honored Alsatian combination. Pork dishes with fruity accompaniments, roast pork with apples, or pork belly glazed with stone fruit, are excellent matches.
- •Spicy Asian food: Off-dry Riesling cools spicy heat while echoing the coconut and lemongrass notes in Thai cooking.
- •Foie gras: The sweetness and acidity balance the richness.
- •Duck: Pairs well with off-dry Riesling or a dry version that leans fruit-forward.
How to serve Riesling
- 1.Always specify the sweetness level when recommending, dry, off-dry, or sweet, because the grape's reputation as universally sweet confuses consumers.
- 2.If you want a dry style, search for "trocken" marked on bottles from Germany or "dry" printed on Australian and American labels.
- 3.German Kabinett at low alcohol (7–9%) usually means more residual sugar; higher alcohol (12%+) on a German label usually signals a drier wine.
- 4.Top-tier German dry Riesling from premium sites will carry the Grosses Gewächs designation, a private quality marker from the VDP association.
- 5.Australian Clare and Eden Valley Rieslings age beautifully and develop honey and toast notes, but many show petrol aromas within just two to three years.