Riesling of the World Comparison Tasting

Join us on a really special evening unearthing the delights of the most regal of white grape varieties, Riesling. 

We have hand selected a world-class line up of mouth-watering and complex Rieslings from its spiritual homelands of Germany, Austria and Alsace and further afield in countries such as Australia, South Africa and the USA with states such as New York and Washington. Producers include JJ Prum, Trimbach, Domaine Wachau and the largest producer of Riesling in the world, Chateau Ste. Michelle. The wines range from the 2002 vintage to 2020 with many of the examples showing exquisite bottle age. Do not miss this amazing tasting!

Riesling

Wine made from Riesling is quite unlike any other. It is generally light in alcohol, refreshingly high in fruity natural acidity and has the ability to transmit the character of a place through its extract and unique aroma and, unlike Chardonnay, is capable of ageing for decades in bottle. Like top quality Chenin Blanc, but unlike Chardonnay, it performs best if fermented cool and bottled early without any malolactic fermentation or wood influence. Riesling is a star and, as you may discern, one of my great wine heroes.

To us Riesling is great not just because it, like Pinot Noir for example, is so exceptionally good at expressing terroir, but also because it makes white wines that are so good at ageing. A fine Riesling almost demands time in bottle. They can be quite austere in youth (which may be why so many wine drinkers are wary of them). The prospect of a 50-year-old Riesling can be an appetising one while the number of white burgundies worth ageing past their 15th birthday is extremely small.

It spent much of the 1990s and 2000s on the sidelines, particularly in the UK, due to the quantity of cheap Liebfraumilch and array of wannabe Rieslings (Olasz, Welsch, Laski, Riesling Italico) on the market – all of which tarnished Riesling’s reputation in the eye of the consumer.

Nowadays things are back on track and the Riesling revival is well underway. Great examples are produced all around the world, from the Eden Valley in Australia to South America – and not forgetting the classic Rieslings from the Rheingau in Germany, Wachau in Austria and Alsace in France.

Wines on Tasting:

• JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese Riesling, Germany, 2007
• Trimbach, Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile, Alsace, France, 2012
• Rheingau Dry Riesling, Germany TBC
• O’Leary Polish Hill Riesling, Australia, 2016
• Hosmer Dry Riesling, New York Finger Lakes, 2019
• Domäne Wachau Ried Loibenberg Reserve Riesling, Wachau, Austria, 2002
• Chateau Ste. Michelle, Dry Riesling, Washington State, 2018
• Paul Cluver, Riesling, Elgin, South Africa, 2020