Easily Pick Out A Dry Riesling At The Store With A Glance At The Label

If you like to pair food and wine, Riesling is a versatile varietal. This white wine grape is generally associated with Germany and Austria, where many notable Riesling producers and vineyards are, but the grape is also successfully grown in other areas of the world. Riesling has long been considered a sweet wine, which turns a lot of wine drinkers off, particularly the ones who lean toward drier whites. But, it turns out, Rieslings come in a range of flavors, including pleasantly balanced, dry versions. So, how can you tell the sweet from the dry when you're cruising the wine aisle? Erin Henderson, certified sommelier and founder of The Wine Sisters, has very helpful advice on the matter.

"Higher alcohol usually means there's less residual sugar in table wines," Henderson told The Takeout. "It would be unusual to find a Riesling that's very high in alcohol anyway, but I would say anything about 12% is on the drier side." Fortunately, a wine's alcohol content is always noted on the label. So if you're unsure, just glance at the front or back label for your answer. If you happen to be in Germany, however, Henderson mentioned you just need to look for a specific word. "In Germany, they label dry Rieslings as 'trocken.'"

As to the myth that a Riesling's color will denote how sweet the wine is, Henderson suggests this isn't a reliable factor. "I certainly wouldn't rely on color as my only indicator of sweetness," she said. "I've had some sweet Rieslings that are very pale. And I've had some older, dry Rieslings that are quite gold."

We asked Henderson for recommendations for brands that produce excellent dry Rieslings (a great wine pairing for spicy food). She admitted that her home of Ontario, Canada makes excellent Riesling, with wineries such as Charles Baker, Thirty Bench, Vineland, and Cave Spring making some of the best. "Our Rieslings are poised and fresh," she said. "Perfect for food pairing with everything from sushi to roast pork to cheese boards." 

Henderson encouraged American shoppers who might not see these brands in their local markets to "look to top performing regions like Germany, Ontario, Alsace, Washington, Oregon, and Australia." As to the sweet side of Riesling, she believes the grape holds its own as well. "Riesling can indeed be very sweet," Henderson added. "It makes terrific ice wine, some of the world's best... but sweet or dry, quality wines are all about balance."

Many times, a wine's label will illustrate a small description of what the wine inside tastes like. If it notes that the wine is dry, you can pretty much rely on the winemaker's word. On some international brands, look for certain words that will indicate sweetness. For example, if a wine label from Germany includes the descriptive words "kabinett," "spatlese," "auslese," or "beerenauslese," these are sweeter Rieslings with the latter being the sweetest. Rieslings from Alsace, France with descriptors such as "selection de grains nobles" or "vendange tradive" are likely also on the sugary side.