Food-Friendly Riesling

The Riesling grape (pronounced ree-zling) produces delicious, versatile wines that pair beautifully with a wide range of foods.

A common misconception is that this grape variety is only capable of producing sweet wines, but the truth is that Riesling is very complex.

Rieslings are generally crisp and bright, with aromas and flavors that include citrus, peach, apricot, pear, pineapple, honey and mineral notes.

Rieslings are produced in Germany, France, Austria, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, with German varieties generally being the best known.

The Germans classify their Riesling from driest to sweetest on the label: Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.

Rieslings produced in Alsace, France are very highly respected as well, and tend to be slightly drier than their German counterparts. Washington state and New York are also known for producing some quality Rieslings.

Pair with Light Foods, Spicy Foods or Desserts ~

When it comes to food, a dry Riesling pairs nicely with seafood and chicken; semisweet varieties go well with cheese and most Asian cuisine (particularly spicy dishes) and the sweet varieties work well as dessert wines or aperitifs.

Tasting Notes ~

Riesling is a wonderful warm-weather wine, and R. Müller Riesling from Germany is a good choice to have on hand for casual entertaining on those balmy summer evenings. With aromas and flavors of peaches and pears, it's a perfect pairing for light summer fair like grilled fish and seafood or salads.

R. Müller Riesling is one of the artisan wines from Octavin Home Wine Bar, and at $24 for 3 Liters it's an exceptional value. By eliminating heavy glass and cork, Octavin packaging reduces waste, carbon emissions and shipping costs, making these 3 liter wine containers more eco-friendly and quite economical.

Octavin wines are packaged in an innovative, octagonal box that contains the equivalent of four conventional bottles of wine in a sealed interior bag. The bag collapses as the wine is used, preventing oxidation and keeping the wine fresh and flavorful for up to six weeks. Click here to read more about Octavin wines.