Ask a pack of sommeliers what they drink after work and you’ll like get a variety of answers—gin and tonic, a nice hoppy beer, way too much tequila—but Riesling is almost always in the mix. Why does this sweet white wine get so much professional respect? Well, for one thing, it’s not all that sweet. At least, not always. A great Riesling is nuanced and complex, providing the perfect respite for a palate inundated with bold reds and creamy whites throughout a long night of restaurant service.
Riesling is often categorized according to sweetness, especially in its native Germany where styles range from the light and relatively dry Kabinett to the dessert friendly Eiswein, or ice wine. Whether you opt for a sugar bomb, an off-dry bottle, or something in between, Riesling has a lot to offer casual drinkers and seasoned pros alike.
J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese Riesling, 2001
In it’s (arguably) best form, Riesling is bottled as a single varietal wine, unoaked, using grapes grown and vinified in the grape’s native Germany. Want to experience Riesling in its purest form? Here you go. Though the estate itself was founded in 1911, there is more than four centuries of wine-soaked history leading up to the launch of the latest Prum family winery.
Joh. Jos. wines are known for their intriguing “struck match” aroma that arises from the use of wild yeast during fermentation. The scent disappears with age, but many Riesling aficionados crave the pungent odor as a sort of balancing act for the wine’s more feminine characteristics. The bottle recommended here is from 2001, and all that time in the bottle has minimized any sulfuric components and left tons of juicy stone fruit, candied citrus, minerality, and white pepper in its wake.
This wine is seductive in the extreme. It pulls you in, tempts you with the incredibly harmonious yin-yang of sweetness and acidity, and threatens to never let you go. It’s that good.
Local: St. Urbans-Hof Ockfener Bockstein Spatlese, 2014
The St. Urbans-Hof winery has a lot in common with J.J. Prum. Both are family run, both have deep roots in the Mosel region and surrounding areas, and both take great care to create wines that reflect tradition and terroir. The wine growing methodology at St. Urbans-Hof is also steeped in tradition; vines are trussed using an old-school heart-binding trellis system, fertilizers are strictly organic, and grapes are thinned and picked by hand for lower yield and better quality.
All this, and the wine is still under $40. Uber impressive. What will your double sawbucks get you? Citrus and a splash of tropical fruit with a bit of honey and spice on the back end. Not as much minerality as our diamond wine above, but in place of the stony charm there’s a long, memorable finish with a hint of mouth-tingling tea tannin to put some surprise pep in your palate.
A Little Far-Flung: Domaines Schlumberger Grand Cru Saering Riesling, 2014
It’s just a hop, skip, and a short ride in a tiny Euro car from Germany to Alsace, France, where Riesling has made its second home. There is just as much history here as there is back in Mosel, but not all of it is French or German. In fact, the vines at Domaines Schlumberger were planted by Romans, tended by monks, and eventually sold to a local named Nicolas Schlumberger after the French Revolution. How’s that for an epic pedigree?
That kind of lineage should translate into some decent wine, and it does. Pop the cork and dive into a comparatively subtle swirl of citrus and chamomile tea. There’s hint of smoke and some salty stone along with an undercurrent of fresh herbaceousness. Dry yet ripe, acidic yet welcoming, and it’ll only get better.
Out There: Forge Cellars Les Alliers Riesling, 2013
The Finger Lakes region of New York State is no longer up-and-coming, it has arrived. Those who know wine know there are wineries in the Finger Lakes crafting stellar examples of cold-weather varietals like Pinot Noir and Riesling. Forge Cellars is one such producer.
Forge may be a new world winery, but many of their techniques are old world in nature. Hand harvest and sorting, long hang times, strategic leaf pulling, lower yields—all those decisions come into play when you’re turning grapes into greatness. The unique terroir of the Finger Lakes helps, too. The soil is a mix of limestone, clay, and shale, and the Forge team is careful about picking sites that are diverse so that each wine expresses its surroundings to stunning effect.
The result here, with Les Alliers, is a wine that’s distinctly Riesling but also a bit different. Instead of zippy citrus and soft florals, there’s fleshy pear, nutty almond, spicy ginger, and soft and powdery talc. This is a wine you taste and don’t forget. It won’t age like some of the options above, but that’s okay; at this price point, you’ll be sipping your wine immediately rather than stowing it away. Pour some out to wash away a particularly sticky Wednesday at work or pair it with your weekend Thai takeout and enjoy a feast fit for kings. Or Romans. Or upstate New Yorkers. You get the idea.