Riesling

Germany remains the heartland of Riesling, making up around 20% of vineyard plantings yet delivering the country’s most revered wines. South-facing, slate-rich slopes along the Mosel, Rheingau and Pfalz are ideal for ripening the grape while preserving its hallmark acidity. German Rieslings span a broad spectrum: steely and dry with green-apple precision, or exotically sweet, layered with apricot, peach and honeyed depth. These wines are prized for their balance, longevity and sheer vibrancy.

Across the Rhine in Alsace, Riesling takes on a fuller-bodied, more textural character. Here, the wines often show earthy minerality and greater weight, while retaining a steely backbone. Dry styles can be taut and austere, edged with citrus and honey, while the late-harvest Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles bottlings rank among the world’s greatest sweet wines – concentrated, complex and endlessly age-worthy.

Riesling has thrived in the New World in recent decades, carving out new identities in Australia and New Zealand. The Clare and Eden Valleys produce thrillingly dry, lime-scented wines of precision, while Tasmania’s cool climate and high UV intensity yield Rieslings of crystalline clarity. In New Zealand, Central Otago and Nelson regions produce more ethereal, sometimes off-dry examples, combining freshness with expressive fruit. Together, these wines are fuelling Riesling’s global renaissance and reaffirming its status as one of the world’s greatest grapes.