Riesling

Also known as: Rheinriesling (Austria), Weißer Riesling (Germany), Riesling Renano (Italy)

No other grape variety translates its terroir so precisely into the glass. The slate of the Mosel, the loess of the Rheingau, the gneiss of the Wachau – Riesling makes geology drinkable. Acidity is the backbone, but the finest wines show far more: stone fruit, herbs, petrol, sometimes smoke.

On the Mosel, Clemens Busch and Weiser-Künstler work the steep slopes with biodynamic rigour. Peter Jakob Kühn in the Rheingau and Nikolaihof in the Wachau demonstrate that great Rieslings can age for decades. In Alsace, Zind-Humbrecht brings power and richness to the variety.