Berger: The subtleties of German rieslings

Wine can be confusing, but one of the most maddeningly complicated wines is also the easiest to like.

German riesling is one of the world’s finest wines. Burgundophiles and Bordeaux lovers may bleat about that statement, but no wine in the world has such aromatic appeal combined with a palate-friendly taste than does riesling.

And when produced in the heartland of the grape variety, whether from the high-image districts of the Mosel or Rheingau, or from lesser-known regions like the Pfalz or the Nahe, riesling can be exciting, sublime, and enticing to almost all consumers.

And the main reason they are so widely appealing is that they have a trace (or more) of sugar, and thus appeal to a wider audience than almost any other fine wine on the planet.

Not to mention that riesling wines are amazingly versatile, applying equally as aperitifs, first-course matching, main-course centerpieces, and even with desserts.

The best reasons to buy riesling are (a) they are refreshing, (b) generally lower in alcohol, so (c) you can consume more of them and still take in less alcohol, and (d) all but the most exalted are generally under-priced.

Where it gets confusing is at the upper tiers, where some of the wines are listed as “Trocken,” a German term that means dry.

Despite numerous attempts to rewrite the German wine law to address the question of highest quality dry wines, using vineyard designations to denote certain superb wines, few American wine consumers have a clue as to what is what.

Take, for instance, the term “grosses gewächs,” which denotes a high-quality dry wine from certain carefully chosen vineyards, which are named on the label.

An example is a superb wine I had last week, 2012 Dr. Loosen (the brand name), Wehlener Sonnonuhr (the vineyard name), both of which are on the label. The wine is from the Mosel Valley.

A key to this wine (about $42) is that a good-sized oval label on the side of the bottle that faces the consumer on a shelf is the word “Dry,” in large lettering. This is a legally authorized “grosses gewächs” wine.

And where does the term “grosses gewächs” appear on the bottle? It doesn’t. On the other side of the label, the designation “GG” appears, without any explanation. But the GG indicates a “trocken” (dry) wine. Yet confusingly, this wine isn’t bone dry!

By German wine law, all wines that carry the term trocken are legally entitled to have as much as 9 grams per liter (.9%) of residual sugar. And of course we all know that almost all German rieslings have excellent acidity. So some residual sugar is usually necessary to make the wine drinkable. Otherwise it would be so sour, newcomers would hate it.

So to most consumers this wine is dry. But riesling sophisticates would easily pick out the trace amount of sugar in this wine and would still call it succulent.

And it is - in the first sip. The aftertaste, however, is dry, which is indicated by the International Riesling Foundation sweetness chart on the label that says the wine is dry.

So yes, the word “confusing” still applies to many German wines. But if we ignore all that, the wine itself is almost always a joy to drink. Many of the wines’ alcohol levels are 12% or less, and a few are as low as 7%!

dry,Yet the flavors are undiminished by this, and in fact may be enhanced by the lower alcohol levels.

When thinking of white wines to cool down on the hot days of summer, riesling is a go-to choice, even if the labels are a bit befuddling. Wine of the Week: 2013 Fritz Haag Riesling, Mosel ($22) – The white peach, tropical, floral aroma is a delight in this off-dry wine with a crisp finish. Sealed with a screwcap for freshness, it is light (11% alcohol) and refreshing, and dry enough to serve with spicy seafood dishes. From a longtime Mosel star producer

Write to Dan Berger at winenut@gmail.com.