We bring you a selection of seven sensational bone dry Rieslings from our latest Global Riesling Masters, taking in wines from Alsace, Austria, Alto Adige and the Eden Valley.
The wines have all been selected from the only major competition for all styles and sources of Riesling, which this year took place on 5 February at Les 110 de Taillevent restaurant in London W1.
A full analysis on the results of the tasting – plus all the medallists – can be seen by clicking here, while my top picks from the competition can be viewed over the following pages.
The judges in this year’s competition (pictured below, left to right) were: Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW; Patrick Schmitt MW; Jonathan Pedley MW; David Round MW.
A quick guide to terms
RS: stands for ‘residual sugar’, indicating the amount of sugar contained in the wine following fermentation. If, during alcoholic fermentation, the fermentation finishes, or is stopped, before all of the sugar in the grapes is converted to alcohol, then the wine will contain an element of ‘residual sugar’. Because Riesling is a grape with very high levels of natural acidity, this sugar is rarely perceptible to the drinker at low levels.
TDN: stands for ‘1, 1, 6, -trimethyl-1,2-dihydronapthalene’. It is a compound that gives the kerosene or petrol aromas in Riesling, and can often be found in older wines due to the hydrolysis of TDN precursors over time, as well as in younger wines from Rieslings exposed to warmer temperatures or high degrees of sunlight.
