Riesling Wine

When people think of the word Riesling, they think of a German white wine. While that is true, it is also incorrect to picture Riesling in such a restricted way. Riesling is a special grape varietal that is used to bear Riesling wines. Germany was the lead to make a market for these wines going back to the 15th century. To be absolutely accurate, they yield many different variations of the same varietal.

Each style is based on the measurement of residual sugar left in the wine when fermentation is concluded. To the buyer this marks the diversity between dry, semi-dry, and sweet tasting Riesling wine. The Alsace region of northern German is well-known for a dry style of Riesling while the other styles are more dominate in the Rhine region. When favorably produced, Riesling wines have heightened normal acid level making them somewhat clean and bright fruit flavors such as peach, apple, grapefruit, and pear.

For years it was believed that the cool temperatures and the slate and sandy clay soils of Germany were the essential environment to make a successful Riesling grape for quality wines. So much so that it was not until the 20th century that Austrians and Australians decided to plant significant acreage in Riesling vines for wine production. In the late 19th century winegrowers in New York State became the first to favorably grow Riesling vines in the United States. These wines were celebrated in the USA but did not match favorably with their German the German vineyards.

Not until the late 20th century did California wineries endeavor any serious planting of the Riesling grape. Unlike the German process of capitalization (adding sugar to the wine during fermentation in order to increase alcohol levels), the California wine code prohibits this so grapes are left on the vine until sugar levels and acid levels are at the perfect level. This code added more risk for California wine growers as the short window for harvesting was problematic. While Californian winemakers have been testing in producing top ranked Riesling wines, few have been successful until recently.

In the small California appellation of Temecula Valley in the Southern part of the state, few Temecula wineries have been yielding Riesling since the 1980s. The most prominent of late is Falkner Temecula Winery where Riesling has been yielding since their origination in 2000. Their semi-dry, very delicious 2008 Riesling captured a gold medal, best of South Coast Region and Best of California wine awards at the recent 2009 California State Fair. Falkners Riesling is about 1.5% residual sugar with just enough sweetness to bring out the bright ripe pear and apple flavors.

The acids equalize this Temecula wine very well and provide for a slight crispness that consumers find so attractive. Falkner Temecula Winery only makes about 400 cases of their Riesling every year so bottles can be in limited quantities. Falkner wines sell in their Temecula wine tasting room, on their website of FalknerWinery.com and in major Southern California wine shops. This is a clear sign of where California is headed in the Riesling market and most wine lovers will be pleased with the result.