A Quick Defense of Riesling, and the Perception of Terroir

The Fabled Vineyards Whelener Sonnenuhr, Erdener Pralat, and a Close-up of the Blue State of Bernkastele


Terroir is the sense of place of a wine, the characteristics of that wine that preclude it from coming from anywhere except it's actual origin. It is the sum total of all the elements that create the wine itself, and no grape better transmits that sense of place better than Riesling.

With Riesling, there is a dynamic tension between the sweetness of the fruit and the fruit's acidity. This pulls the wine open, making it transparent, we taste the wine, but also through it, and into the soil and stone from whence it came. It is because of this openness that Riesling is the great transmitter of Terroir, the perfect lens through which to examine the Vineyards of the Mosel.