Some people adore Chardonnay. Sauvignon blanc has become very popular. Rosé wines have an increasingly loyal following, and sparkling wines are selling as well as any refresher.
During the hottest days, cooling beverages are an absolute joy, from soda to iced tea, from beer to iced coffee to fruit-flavored preparations that are intended to be tasty while they hydrate the body.
Despite all of the popularity of other liquids that are usually chilled, my favorite potable is Riesling. It is a grape variety that purists (moi?) argue is one of the world’s finest grapes and produces some of the most sublime wines in history.
Using the word “history” was no accident. Some of the finest examples of Riesling are 30 years old and are still lively. They are refreshing when they are chilled and deliver nuances of flavor that almost no other white wine grape can deliver. But it does require understanding, which normally comes from years of trying different styles of Riesling.
Those styles are frequently connected to where the fruit was grown. Rieslings prefer a cool climate, which is one reason that some of the finest in the world come from Germany. It is a nation that adores its contribution to the world of wine.
Riesling lovers know it is a wine that may be made in a wide variety of styles, with an enormous range of aromatics, from floral to honey to spicy to earthy.
My favorite Riesling is called “trocken,” the German word for “dry.” Most consumers believe that all Rieslings are sweet, and that certainly was the case for decades, but Germany has several of the world’s greatest wine research centers and has focused on making dry Rieslings.
The greatest trocken Rieslings from Germany come from unique vineyards that are extremely difficult to farm because so many of them are on treacherous hillsides. And making such wines calls for tiny crops. The best wines are in extremely short supply.
Some trocken Rieslings actually have a trace of residual sugar, so they’re not austere. What keeps them dry is high acidity. This trait allows them to be served with delicate foods.
The good news is that the 2025 vintage in Germany was rated to be excellent, so the wines I have tried are exciting. But the bad news is that prices for the best wines have gone up to account for the small crop.
Still, there are plenty of remarkably good wines that represent excellent values in the $12 to $22 price range. And among the alternative districts, consumers can find great value in Australia’s Clare Valley Rieslings, almost regardless of vintage.
