Is Riesling Sweet? (Wine Styles, Flavors, Food Pairings)

The Riesling white wine is cherished for its fruit-forward flavor profile and crisp acidity. It works as a stunning single-varietal wine and is rarely blended with other wines.

While you can find diverse styles of this prized German wine, sweet Riesling is the most sought-after variant. 

Let’s discover what makes Riesling sweet, the different Riesling wine styles, the varied tasting notes, serving tips, and the best food to pair with the sweet wine.

Is Riesling Sweet?

Traditionally, Riesling is a sweet wine, but dry and semi-dry styles are also popular.

Riesling is a cold-resistant grape and ripens later than other varieties. This slow-ripening process enhances its aroma and flavor while maintaining its acidity. 

German Riesling wine is sweet and is produced from botrytized or frozen grapes. 

During winemaking, fermentation is stopped before the conversion of all grape sugars to alcohol. The residual sugar balances the wine’s high acidity (6 to 9 grams per liter) and produces a sweeter Riesling style.

The sugar content in Riesling wine ranges from 3 grams (dry) to 300 grams. Most sweet styles have a sugar level of 8 to 12 grams and even more.

4 Types of Riesling Wine Based on Sweetness Levels

The International Riesling Foundation classifies Riesling as dry, medium-dry, medium-sweet, and sweet based on its sugar-to-acid ratio. 

Let’s look at the differences in each of these styles:

1. Dry Riesling

Dry Riesling wine has a sugar-to-acid ratio of not more than 1. It is defined by high acidity, a citrus fruit flavor, and can age for 5 to 15 years. 

Australian Riesling wines from Clare Valley and Eden Valley rank among the driest Rieslings of the world. 

The other regions crafting bone dry Rieslingwhite wine styles include:

• Germany (Mosel Valley and Rhine River)
• France (Alsatian Riesling)
• United States (Columbia Valley and Willamette Valley) 
• Austria

2. Medium-dry Riesling

Riesling wine is called medium-dry when the sugar-to-acid ratio ranges between 1 and 2. The wine has moderate sugar and alcohol levels. The high acidity tempers the sweetness to produce a sweet and sour wine. 

Medium-dry Riesling has better aging potential than the dry wine and can age for 20 years. 

This style of Riesling is also produced as a sparkling wine using the Charmat method. 

The best medium-dry Riesling wines come from Germany (Mosel Valley and Rhine River), the United States (Columbia Valley and Willamette Valley), and Australia (Eden Valley and Clare Valley.)

3. Medium-sweet Riesling

Medium-sweet wines have tasting notes similar to medium-dry wine styles, but have a sugar-to-acid ratio between 2.1 and 4. 

The semi-sweet Riesling can be cellared for two decades and is a worthy collectible white wine.

Germany, Austria, and the US produce medium-sweet Riesling wines.

4. Sweet Riesling

Riesling wine with a sugar-to-acid ratio greater than 4.1 is called sweet. The enhanced sweetness increases the wine’s longevity, and it can last for 30 years or more in your cellar.

The sweet German Riesling white wine labels indicate their sweetness levels as:

• Kabinett: Kabinett wines, produced from fully-ripened Riesling grapes, can be dry or medium-sweet.
• Spatlese: This is a dry to medium-sweet wine made from the late harvest Riesling grape variety.
• Auslese: Auslese wines are semi-sweet or sweet wine styles produced from selected overripe grapes.
• Beerenauslese: This is a sweet wine made from noble rot Riesling grapes. 
• Trockenbeerenauslese: This is a rare dessert wine made from the completely botrytised Riesling grape variety. 
• Eiswein: Eiswein or ‘ice wine’ is a sweet wine exclusively produced from naturally frozen grapes (on the vine)

Besides Germany, some winemakers in France and Austria also produce incredible, sweet Riesling labels.

What does sweet Riesling taste like?

Riesling presents addictive fruity flavors of nectarine, apple, apricot, and pear with tantalizing citrus undertones. The white wine also possesses a distinctive floral aroma with hints of lemon zest and a tropical fruit flavor.

Serving Tips and Best Food Pairing for Sweet Riesling Wine

Serve sweet Riesling chilled at 7-10 degrees Celsius. Chill the wine in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to enjoy its delicate flavor spectrum to the fullest.

The wine’s sweetness and acidity complement spicy food from Indian and Asian cuisines. It also pairs well with duck, veal, pork, roast chicken, seafood, cheeses, and grilled vegetables.

Relish a Bottle of Your Favorite Sweet Riesling Today!

Looking for a break from bold, savory wines like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc? 

Sweet Riesling is a sensational dessert wine with a complex palate and zesty acidity. Stock a bottle of sweet Riesling and share the wonders of this classic sweet wine with friends at your next dinner party.

But if you’d prefer to build a portfolio of investment-grade Riesling wines, check out the Vinovest website. This incredible platform helps you buy, store, and sell authentic wines from around the world.