Wine · Grape variety guide
Grape Variety Guide · WSET Level 2
Riesling
Germany's noble grape — searingly aromatic, high in acid, and capable of any sweetness level.
High acidity
Aromatic
Ages for decades
Where it grows
- Germany — Mosel and Rheingau — the classic home, from off-dry to lusciously sweet
- Alsace, France — typically fermented fully dry, full-bodied
- Austria — the Wachau — dry, mineral
- Australia — Clare and Eden Valleys — dry, lime-driven
- Washington State & Finger Lakes, USA — cooler New World sites
What it tastes like
- Green apple, lime and white flowers when young
- A distinctive "petrol" or kerosene note (TDN) that develops with bottle age
- High acidity, light to medium body
- Spans the full sweetness spectrum, from bone-dry to late-harvest and botrytis-affected sweet styles
Growing notes
- Buds late, which helps it dodge spring frost, but needs a long growing season to ripen fully
- Thin-skinned, making it prone to botrytis — a flaw in most grapes, but prized here for noble-rot sweet wines
- Retains unusually high acidity even at full ripeness, its real hallmark
Good to know
Riesling is one of the few white grapes that reliably improves for decades in bottle, thanks to that very high natural acidity acting as a preservative.
Exam tip
Expect questions on the German sweetness ladder (Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese) and on the "petrol" aroma as a classic bottle-age identifier.
Part of the Grape Guide — browse all varieties, or jump back to the study sheet.
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