GERMANY
Riesling, the queen of grape varieties in Germany, has been the most cultivated grape variety in the country for decades.
With around 24,000 hectares of vineyards, Germany clearly secures the title as the largest Riesling nation and cultivates the traditional variety on around 22% of the country’s vineyards.
There is wild speculation about the origins of this famous grape variety. Riesling probably originated through natural cross-breeding in Reinthal. But the certain knowledge ends with the parents. There is no doubt that one of its parents is the Weiße Heunisch, also known as Gouais Blanc, and it is also certain that Riesling is not only a figurehead for Germany as a wine country, but also a real stroke of luck.
Whether on the Moselle or in the Rheingau, in 13 out of 16 German wine-growing regions, Riesling is at the top of the list of cultivated grape varieties. Depending on the growing region, the “queen of wines” is characterized by a special, nuanced aroma. This grape variety knows how to reflect its terroir like no other. A characteristic to which numerous renowned wines owe their unique taste profile.
Klaus Peter Keller, Joh. Jos. Prüm, Dönnhoff, Georg Breuer – great names that symbolize fine Riesling from Germany and wineries that are all represented with fine wines in Steiner’s Wine Cellar. Here you can taste the entire range of aromatic finesse that the “Queen of Wines” has to offer.
From dry to noble sweet, Rieslings cover the entire range of flavors. Depending on the length of maturation, the taste tends to lean in one direction or the other, whereby the Riesling always retains its high acidity.
This acidity is not only characteristic of the grape variety, it also gives the wine a uniquely fresh appearance and enables it to be stored for a long time. While young Riesling wine has clear fruity undertones, these sweeter aromas increasingly give way to mineral soil tones over time. All in all, the Riesling is characterized as an acidic, balanced and racy wine that awakens increasingly deeper fascination, vineyard by vineyard and bottle by bottle.