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Less than a hundred years ago, German Rieslings were the some of the most expensive wines in the world. Even today, Armin Diel still proudly displays one of his grandfather’s price lists from 1917, at which time a bottle of Château Latour cost only 7 Marks, but a Goldloch Riesling Spätlese from his own Schlossgut Diel 10. “Those were the days,” he says.
If only longevity and style were factored into the equation, Riesling might still claim to be the finest white wine varietal in the world; but in an era where alcohol and oak became key reference points for the market place, its days were numbered. Barrel aged Riesling has seldom received much critical acclaim and, although alcohol levels are rising for some of the finest dry Rieslings as well, it still weighs in below Chardonnay at test matches.
In fact, in style it is must closer to Pinot Noir in its ability to transmit that ‘sense of place’ inspired by the vineyard without losing its own character, which is perhaps why wine writers have always had a weakness for the varietal. Yet in spite of their best intentions, and innumerous articles, they have not been able to make it popular with the general public.
Collectors have long known that Riesling’s unique blend of acidity and extract will often yield wines with incredible ageing potential, but the Germans brought ignominy on themselves with high yields and overblown levels of residual sugar that took the heart of their wines – and they paid the price.
Riesling, though, was not always the most widely planted varietal in Germany, nor is it the oldest known grape there. Both Silvaner and Elbling were grown throughout the middle ages, long before the first recorded mentions of Riesling appear in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. In the 19th century Silvaner was still the most widely planted German varietal and until as late as 1995 that honour still went to Müller-Thurgau.
Several nobles abetted Riesling’s rise to fame. In particular, the prince elector in Trier made Riesling the default varietal of the Mosel. Only a generation ago more that 80% of all plantings there were down to that grape. Today, that number has fallen to little more than half, so that based on current rates of planting, the Pfalz will soon surpass the Mosel in total Riesling acreage in Germany.
Riesling Kabinetts from the Mosel still remain a category of their own that offers a unique blend of bright fruit, minerality and refreshing lightness. The lower levels of sweetness and alcohol can make this a far more delicate wine than anything else in the world. The most typical aroma of Riesling is said to be that of peach, green apples, quince and lime. Complimented by herbal essences, wild spices and driven by mineral components, the resulting wine should be delicate and impossible to mistake for something else.
Pfalz versus Mosel
Steffen Christmann in Gimmeldingen, the |
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new president of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP), has just planted another hectare of Riesling in his Biengarten vineyard plans to bump Riesling’s share of his production from 68% to 80%,
He is not alone, which is why the Pfalz will soon overtake the Mosel in total plantings. The members of the VDP in the Pfalz have on average 54% Riesling, far above the 22% for the region. More dramatic are the differences in Rheinhessen (54% to 13%) and on the Nahe (74% to 26%). The club’s members on the Mosel have taken their case at 97% to the extreme. That less than 60% of the total Mosel area is currently planted with Riesling is a market construct. So long as the consumer believes that a Mosel wine must be Riesling, unscrupulous shippers will play on their credulity.
Riesling renewed popularity is apparent in the other statistics, as well. Germany’s total plantings grew from 17,750 in 1975 to 21,700 last year. In only the past two crushes vineyard area has risen by another 900 hectares - and the nurseries that provide the plant material make it clear that the trend will persist. In 2003 they breed 3.6m vines for planting. Last year that number had risen to 8.3m.
This trend is due to two factors. One, the top estates, have – as already seen - a high percentage of Riesling and two, the shippers are beginning to note an increased demand for Riesling both on the domestic and export markets and are gearing up their production accordingly, which has pushed bulk wine prices upwards, encouraging farmers to plant.
As vineyards with long growing seasons provide the finest results, most plantings tend to be choice sites in cooler regions. In the northern hemisphere, Riesling is often not picked until late October or even early November. In fact, Dr. Bürklin-Wolf harvested one of its finest dry 2002 Rieslings on the 7th of December. In warmer regions, where it often ripens too early, Riesling can be flat, one dimensional and quite dull, which is why it has not thrived in many parts of the New World.
For many consumers, though, the only Riesling they truly drank long came from Alsace and spoke the varietal language with a markedly French accent. The wines there are often richer, both in alcohol and sometimes, surprisingly, in residual sugar, which occasionally makes them difficult to drink with a meal in spite of their inherent quality. This became so much the norm that it was long difficult to find a dry Riesling other those produced by wineries like Trimbach or Schlumberger.
Today, that clock is being turned back and new legislation will limit residual sugar for any wine marketed as merely Alsatian Riesling to 6 grams per litre. Even Marcel Deiss and Olivier Humbrecht, who long believed in picking their grapes as ripe (overripe) as was possible, have begun to see that residual sugar is sometimes too much of a good thing.
Riesling, although still Alsace’s most widely planted varietal, has taken a |
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slight drubbing compared to Germany, perhaps because of this style. In five years, its share of total plantings has fallen from 22.2% to 21.8%, but it still remains slightly ahead of Pinot Blanc with 21.3%.
Riesling in Austria is not so important in terms of volume, but certainly in quality, with the Wachau (more mineral), Kremstal (richer) and parts of the Weinviertel producing the finest examples. All of the country’s top guns, be they named Hirtzberger, Pichler or Brundelmayer, are located on the northern bank of the Danube river just west of the nation’s capital, Vienna. “We all know they are world class,” says Willi Klinger, chief executive of the Austrian Wine Institute, “but our marketing focus is clearly on Grüner Veltliner.”
Interestingly, and perhaps because of it scarcity, Riesling costs up to 20% more there than the national favourite, Grüner Veltliner, but as Roman Horvath, managing director of the Domäne Wachau, says, “That difference is diminishing. I expect prices to be at parity in the near future.”
If statistics are to be believed, the Soviet Union once had the world’s largest plantings of Rieslings. Before Gobachev’s vine pull scheme, there were 25,000 hectares of vines there. The lack of reliable statistics from Russia, the Ukraine and Moldova leave it unclear just how much of this potential still remains. In any case, very little ever makes it to western markets.
In the New World, Australia was long an advanced post for Riesling. Until Chardonnay became fashionable in 1990, Riesling plantings at 4,000 hectares outnumbered Chardonnay. Brought in by Silesian farmers, the vines did better in the cooler Clare and Eden valleys than on the Barossa floor. Although Riesling acreage has declined, it still remains popular with growers. Often after a tasting of their full throttle Shiraz, “we return home with a bottle of Riesling to chill down,” says John Duval, who once made Grange for Penfolds.
In California, Riesling declined from 4,000 to 2,600 acres as Chardonnay became fashionable. Some producers like Chateau St. Jean and Joseph Phelps remained true - and there were other corners of the state where it remained popular as well, such as San Luis Obispo, Mendocino or Spring Mountain (Stony Hill and Smith Madrone).
In Washington the grape suffered from the same consumer passion for other varietals. The cool northerly latitudes of the Columbia Valley, like those of the Rheingau or Mosel, provide a long growing season for the frost-hardy vines. Then along came Chardonnay and wine consumers were told they shouldn’t drink sweet wines.
Chateau Ste Michele, a driving force behind the American Riesling renaissance, teamed up with Ernie Loosen from the Mosel to produces Eroica to give the varietal a new face. Alan Shoup with Armin Diel from the Nahe to make Poet’s Leap. Together they have helped put Riesling from Washington, where |
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the first Riesling symposium was held, back on the world wine map.
One of the most promising areas for Riesling is the Finger Lakes American Viticultural Area in north central New York. The climate and soils are right; cold winters are mitigated a bit by warmth held in the region’s four major lakes and also by Ontario. Soils are shallow and rocky, laid down by glaciers.
Rieslings from the area receive very good press, but there is hardly enough of it for local sales. Bob Madill, chair of the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance and a partner at Shelldrake Point Vineyards said 60% of all sales are at cellar door. “Most Finger Lakes wine is drunk within 100 miles of the winery. When we talk about export, we’re thinking of New York City,” he added. “If we had more Riesling, we could sell it.”
Demand is also growing as chefs begin to declare that Riesling is their friend at the table, creating fusion nuances of Thai, Indonesian, spicy Indian, Vietnamese and chiles from Mexico to complement their dishes. Interesting, this revival is taking place more in the United States than in Asia where the dishes hail. There, fashion still dictates red wines.
That said, even the German estates are exporting more dry Riesling to Asia, but they have become even more popular in Holland and Scandanavian countries. Traditional export markets like Japan, that long enjoyed the sweet variants, now buy less than a quarter of what they purchased ten years ago.
Not that the Australians have taken up the slack. Great Britain and America take most of their Riesling, which has become a popular commodity. Grape farmers receive up to 30% more dollars per tonne for Riesling than other varietals and the average export price at just over $5 per litre is higher than the national average of $4.77.
These unique wines appeal to both a consumer and an educated palate. If the tide against alcohol consumption continues to turn, low alcohol may one day be a selling point as well. Today, Riesling probably still offers the best value of all white wines; but Armin Diel would like to change that, even if his Spätlese never again sell for the same price as Latour.
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