12 Rieslings for Every Budget

If you think all Riesling is sweet, you're missing out.

Of all the more familiar grape varieties, Riesling is among the most misunderstood. Too often, it’s perceived as producing a monolithically sweet white wine, but that’s not the case at all — nothing about Riesling necessitates that it be sweet. And to be honest, some of the most profound Rieslings are both sweet and fresh, with enough acidity to counterbalance the residual sugar and provide everything a bottle needs to stand the test of time in a properly cooled cellar or wine fridge. Not too long ago, for example, I tasted (okay, drank…) the 2006 J.J. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese, and it was astoundingly delicious, reminiscent of grilled pineapples and petrol (a classic note, believe it or not, in many high-quality Rieslings), or eating a perfectly ripe and honey-drizzled mango outside just after a rainstorm.

There also happen to be some truly spectacular dry Rieslings from Australia, Alsace, and Austria to Oregon, Napa Valley, and beyond. The best of them are uniquely able to express the character of the land in which they grew, age easily for years, and accompany a wide range of food: Riesling is famously versatile at the table, and many of them work brilliantly alongside both rich foods as well as spicy ones. It’s often described as a secret weapon for pairing with food. The following dozen are easily accessible and absolutely delicious.

2019 Allram Riesling Ried Zobinger Heilingenstine 1ÖTW Kamptal Strass, Austria

The aromas here are reminiscent of petrol poured onto a hot sidewalk, with lemon pith and rocks somewhere nearby. When sipped, this wine is bracing and beautifully structured, with a hint of creaminess that lends generosity to the hard green melons, yellow apples, deep core of minerals, and white cardamom through the dried-flower finish.

2017 Appassionata Vineyards Riesling GG Chehalem Mountains, Oregon

Fascinating aromas of apricots, petrol, and sesame seeds abound in this single-vineyard, old-vine wine from legendary producer Ernst Loosen. On the palate, it’s vivid and well-delineated, with kumquat, navel orange, and turmeric root flavors with a touch of coriander seeds spicing plums and oranges. Whiffs of passionfruit and lemon blossom linger through the lime- and slate-kissed finish.

Related: 15 Best Bottles of Chardonnay Worth Splurging On

2019 Brooks Riesling Eola-Amity Hills

This estate-grown, Willamette Valley Riesling is a winner, vintage after vintage. The 2019 is nervy and full of savory citrus pith, and kumquat and passionfruit notes showcase a subtly honeyed edge. The interplay between steely acidity and fruit is excellent.

2021 Domaine Christophe Mittnacht “Terres d’étoiles” Riesling Alsace

So fresh and lively that it makes you sit up straighter, this is the kind of savory, seashell-kissed wine that embodies so much of what makes dry Riesling from Alsace special. It speaks of dried gardenias, white cardamom, and just-squeezed citrus, and a spicy finish vibrates on the palate for a solid thirty seconds.

2021 Dutcher Crossing Winemakers’ Cellar Riesling Russian River Valley

Open-knit and bursting with life, this is lifted with floral notes that serve as terrific counterpoints to flavors of orange creamsicle and lemon sherbet. The bracing finish calls out for another sip, or to be paired with a Thai coconut curry.

Related: 15 Best Sauvignon Blancs for Warm Weather

2018 Dutton-Goldfield Chileno Valley Vineyard Riesling Petaluma Gap

Dutton Goldfield is far better known for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay than Riesling, but the quality of this excellent bottling is of the same high caliber. It’s savory with minerality and petrol, lively with nectarines and apricots, and spicy and saline through the mouthwatering, lemon-pith finish.

2020 Hillick & Hobbs Estate Vineyard Dry Riesling Seneca Lake, New York

The Finger Lakes have earned a well-deserved reputation as a home to notably successful Riesling. This one, from Paul Hobbs, is a very good example of why: It’s both creamy in texture and sliced with acidity, and the flavors of yellow apples, pink grapefruits, and nectarines are gently spiced and honeyed. A long, mineral-flecked finish promises another decade of evolution.

2020 Jean-Baptiste Adam “Les Natures” Riesling Alsace

This organic bottle, like all of the others in the producer’s “Les Natures” range, has been produced and aged in casks that have passed the century mark. The result is a complex wine whose scrubby herb notes lend an earthy character to the melon pith and pear flavors. Turmeric root peeks through on the finish, which is bright with fresh lime.

Related: 10 Editor-Approved Proseccos

2020 RGNY Scielo Sparkling “On the Lees” Riesling North Fork of Long Island

This wine is almost cider-like on the nose, with crunchy apples and bracing autumn air. The first sip reveals a wine marked by minerals, lemon and lime, lemon blossoms, and a finish of fresh, mouthwatering vibrancy.

2018 Smith Madrone Riesling Spring Mountain District

This is a concentrated, estate-grown Riesling that proves how successful the variety can be at the higher altitudes of Napa Valley. It bursts from the glass in a blaze of fresh-squeezed lemon, and that acidity perks up more perfumed notes of orange blossoms. A subtle whiff of fennel fronds complicates it in a particularly lovely way.

2019 Steininger Ried Steinhaus 1ÖTW Kamptal DAC Reserve

Hailing from the iconic Steinhaus vineyard, this is a Riesling for the cellar, though it’s already showing hints of the giant it will become. It’s creamy and long with a serious spine of citrus acidity that carries notes of fresh lemon, melon pith, hard green apples, and a fleeting suggestion of caraway. The finish pares it all down to the essentials, with absolutely gorgeous notes of lemon-lime and schist-like minerality that linger.

2022 Trefethen Dry Riesling Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley

The Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley is in the region’s south, and the nearby San Pablo Bay does much to shape the character of this cooler-climate AVA. This bracing, crunchy Riesling embodies the nature of this special place fantastically, and lemon-lime, yellow grapefruit, verbena, and shiso are dusted with cardamom, all lingering with seashell minerality through the bright finish.

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