Here you'll learn everything you ever wanted to know about great German Riesling wines! Browse by the subject that interests you - or read the whole thing, take the final exam and get your Certificate of Applied Rieslingology!

What is Riesling?

It's a grape - one of the world's noblest, yet accommodating of the "great" white varieties because of its wide range of tastes and incomparable food-friendliness. Read More

Where does Riesling come from?

Riesling grapes were first cultivated in and around modern-day Germany, and experts agree that the world's best still come from there. Read More

What does Riesling taste like?

Some people think of Riesling as a sweet wine, but that would be like saying all chocolate is sweet, rather than coming in the variety of styles it actually does. Read More

What does Riesling go with?

In a word: Everything. Riesling's unique balance of fruit to acidity makes it the world's most deliciously versatile and food-friendly wine. Read More

What's special about Schmitt Söhne Riesling?

Schmitt Sohne is the leading importer of German Rieslings. Read More

It's a grape - one of the world's noblest, yet accommodating of the "great" white varieties because of its wide range of flavors and incomparable food-friendliness. In addition to the well balanced acidity, Riesling has a range of fruit and floral aromas adding to its complexity. It's this balance of fruit and acidity that makes Riesling so highly prized as a wine grape.

Riesling grapes are used to make many different styles of wines, from dry to semi-sweet to very sweet - even sparking wines. The key difference is how long the grape is left on the vine and how long it is allowed to ferment. The longer the grapes ripen, the more intense their flavors and aromas become. German Riesling grapes harvested early, say in September, make light, fruity, well-balanced wines. Riesling grapes harvested later are more complex and flavorful.

When it comes to a grape's natural sugar level at the time of harvest, there are few factors that determine a wine's ultimate style and taste.

Let's start with what's known as Qualitatswein. These Rieslings can only be produced from grapes grown in one of Germany's thirteen official "growing" regions.

Moving up to a higher intensity of flavor you'll discover wines of distinction, Pradikatswein. These truly represent German wine-making at its finest. The quality scale for these wines is based on six distinct degrees of ripeness.Read More

As to where the Riesling grape originated, no one knows for certain. Some scholars claim the grape was mentioned by the Roman historian Pliny the Elder. Others attribute the first plantings of Riesling to Medieval German kings or monks. Still others claim Riesling evolved from a grape that simply grew naturally in the Rhineland. Whatever the case, the first written reference to Riesling wine doesn't occur until the late 13th Century.

It remains undisputed, however, that Riesling grapes were first cultivated in and around modern-day Germany. Experts agree that the world's best Rieslings still come from this area.

Riesling's are "late-ripening" by nature. That makes Germany's moderate climate ideal for a long growing season and a fully mature grape. The steep slopes that dominate the growing regions provide the vines with greater exposure to sunlight. The slate-rich soil also works to hold the sun's warmth well into the cool nights, while imparting a mineral characteristic unique to German wines. These elements, along with the overall climate and farming techniques, create what wine growers refer to as terroir. No other place on earth has such perfect conditions for growing the world's best Riesling grapes.

Riesling grapes prefer cool climates and sandy clay or slate soils, and today they're grown all over the world: from Austria and France to the US and Canada and as far away as Australia and New Zealand - even China. Yet it remains the most widely cultivated grape variety in Germany; some 52,000 acres each year.

Some people think of Riesling as a sweet wine, but that would be like saying all chocolate is sweet, rather than coming in the variety of styles it actually does. True, most Riesling is crisp and fruity. But the taste profile can range from very dry to very sweet depending on the ripeness of the fruit and the style the winemaker is looking for. Mixed in with Riesling's fruit flavors (usually apple, peach and pear) and floral aromas Is balanced acidity giving the wine it's crisp, mouthwatering character and minerality adding complexity to the wine.

The flavor of the Riesling grape is influenced like no other by the soil in which it's grown. The uniquely slate-heavy soils of Germany's wine growing regions impart a pronounced mineral character.

This perfect balance of fruit and acidity, combined with a rich mineral base, makes German Rieslings unique among wines - red or white - from around the world.

As previously mentioned, the degree to which Riesling grapes are allowed to ripen, known as selective harvesting, greatly influences their flavor. Most Riesling grapes are harvested early when they're light in character, then pressed and fermented.

Riesling is generally low in alcohol, making it extremely enjoyable and refreshing - excellent in a wide range of settings with any number of dishes or on its own.

In a word: Everything. Riesling's unique balance of flavors makes it the world's most deliciously versatile and food-friendly wine. Riesling's acidity makes it extremely versatile, able to "cut through" rich, buttery or heavy foods, while sweeter styles make an excellent complement to spicy cuisine.

Many of the most frequently enjoyed Rieslings are popular because they go so well with so many different foods. Generally, fuller-flavored dishes go better with fuller-bodied wines. Everyday Rieslings are perfect with robust dishes including roast pork, chicken or beef, as well as foods that are on the salty side, such as blue veined cheese, bacon or even smoked trout. They also go well with spicier, ethnic foods.

A light, low-alcohol Riesling, such as a Kabinett, is an outstanding aperitif wine, stimulating to the appetite and perfect with lighter cuisines, appetizers, salads, cheeses and cold meats.

When it comes to food pairing, a Spätlese opens any number of great dining options. It's ideal with seafood such as salmon, lobster or crab, as well as more aromatically spiced cuisines like Thai, Indian or Mexican. A sweeter Auslese Riesling can hold its own with the likes of a rich foie gras or complement heavily seasoned selections.

Rieslings that tend to be lower in alcohol with greater acidity, such as fruity Beerenauslese or an even richer Trockenbeerenauslese are highly sought-after, exceptional dessert wines. In fact, an Eiswein Riesling makes a fabulous dessert in itself!

Schmitt Sohne is the leading importer of German Rieslings. Of all the world's Rieslings, the ones produced in Germany have the most distinctive mineral character, and are the most highly prized by wine lovers for their balance of fruit and acidity.

As the leading importer of German Rieslings - and a leader of America's Riesling Renaissance - Thomas Schmitt knows that the secret to these grapes lies below ground in Germany's slate-rich soil and in the climate and micro climates of each vineyard. This, combined with steep, sloping vineyards - which can be as steep as 80°- not only expose the Riesling vines to more sunlight, but force the vines to extend their roots deeper into the mineral-soaked soil. This results in grapes with an unusually complex character.

Historically, Germany is home to some of the oldest wine-producing regions. Charlemagne, it's said, was the first to recognize the winemaking potential of the countryside's rolling hills, valleys and unique soil. According to legend, it was he who ordered the first vines to be planted there. One region has been continuously planted since the Romans arrived more than 2,000 years ago. Schmitt Sohne is located along the Mosel River in the village of Longuich, which was founded by the Romans and literally translated means "Long Village."

Today, the wines that are produced in Germany with a perfect balance of minerality, acidity, sweetness and fruit are considered the most perfect, purest expression of the Riesling grape.

It's important to remember that a Riesling's sweetness depends only partly on when the grapes were harvested. The main determinant is how long the wine maker chooses to ferment the juice. Fermentation is a process by which sugar is converted to alcohol. Thus, the further the fermentation is allowed to progress, the drier the wine.

From lightest to most intense, here's how (and a little about why) Rieslings are ranked as follows:

Kabinett (Kah-bee-NET) - Derived from the word "cabinet" which is where winemakers stored their best wines. The grapes are hand-selected during normal harvest, creating a wine that is well balanced in acidity and dry to semi-dry, these are the lightest of the Pradikatsweins.

Spätlese (SHPATE-lay-zuh) - The meaning here is "late harvest" because these grapes are picked a couple of weeks later in the harvest. As a result, they create a wine that has greater body, longer finish and a firmer, fruitier structure.

Auslese (OWS-lay-zeh) - These wines are known as "select" because they are made from very ripe grapes grown in select bunches and harvested by hand. They are sweeter (but never sugary!) in style and more complex in flavor, which tend to unfold slowly.

Beerenauslese (BARE-ehn-OWS-lay-zeh) - Made from select grapes individually harvested by hand, the name appropriately means, "berry select harvest." These wines are lower in alcohol and deliver a richness of honey, caramel and tropical fruits. They are both rare and exceptional.

Trockenbeerenauslese (TROCK-en-BEHR-en-OWS-lay-zeh) - These are the richest of the German dessert wines. Because the grapes are dried and shriveled they resemble raisins at the time of harvest, their name means, "dried berry select harvest." They contain so little water when pressed that it can take an entire day to pick enough grapes to make just one bottle. But the intense, complex flavors they deliver make them well worth the effort!

Eiswein (ICE-vine) - Literal translation? "Ice wine." The harvest of these wines is very rare as it only occurs during the first hard frost that freezes the last of the grapes that remain on the vine. The grapes are then picked and pressed frozen so very little water gets in to the press and only a small amount of highly concentrated juice is extracted. The result is an extraordinary bond between sweetness and acidity.