The Remarkable World of Riesling: Noble, Refreshing, and Right at Home in Northern Michigan
- andersonsglenarbor
- May 24
- 5 min read
Considered one of the “noble grapes”, Riesling has a long and storied history as one of the most revered white grapes of all, at times being considered superior to the Chardonnays of Burgundy. Here in Northern Michigan we have adopted Riesling as one of our star wines, making a variety of different styles from bone-dry to dessert-sweet, sparkling, and even into “orange” wines where the skins of the grapes are included in the fermentation process, but we were far from the first to recognize the truly stellar potential of this aromatic and fruit-forward grape. Known to thrive in colder climates, this hasn’t stopped places like California and Australia from trying their hand at this noble varietal to wonderful success, but the true home of Riesling has always been in Germany, Alsace, and Austria.
These regions have been growing phenomenal grapes to be made into equally phenomenal wines of a multitude of varieties for centuries. Riesling is unique among grapes in that it can retain its acidity long into the growing season when other grapes would be far too overripe, allowing for a plethora of styles in which the sweetness from the grape’s production of sugars during the ripening process is matched with a beautiful, often citrusy acidity, leading to a rarely seen style in other wines known as “off-dry.”
Indeed there are dry, off-dry, medium-dry, medium-sweet, and fully sweet Rieslings that have a strong backbone of acidity. Much the way lemonade is both sweet and sour, Riesling has this same kind of balance that turns what would be a strictly sweet wine like a Moscato into something much more food friendly. Great for appetizers, salads, seafood, spicy dishes, and of course desserts, there is a Riesling for almost every meal, and they are excellent as a palate cleanser in between courses, and wines, refreshing and resetting taste buds to further appreciate your meal or wine tasting.
In Northern Michigan, we took inspiration from the vines of Alsace and Germany when it came time to plant European grapes on our soil when Michigan’s pioneer vintners saw the tremendous similarities between the climates and soils when experimenting with which grapes we could be the most successful, leading to a boom in Michigan Riesling. Michigan Riesling production goes back to the 1970s when Ed O’Keefe at Chateau Grand Traverse saw the potential during a visit to Alsace, but European Riesling dates back centuries longer, with many vineyards still being farmed today.
Here at Anderson’s Market we proudly represent many of these wines in our local wine selection, however we also feel it’s important to remember the roots of our wine-growing heritage by representing many of Europe’s best vintners and vineyards as well.
A perennial favorite of Sommeliers, the Rieslings of the world have long enamored wine professionals for their sheer variety and deliciousness unlike so many wines made to be carbon copies of their neighbors or chasing some notion of perfection and falling short. Riesling is undeniably one of the best wines to explore on a budget. For the price of a mediocre Bordeaux, Napa Cabernet, White Burgundy, or Sancerre, you can find a truly top-quality bottle of Riesling. Only a small handful of Rieslings achieve the prices of Grand Cru Burgundy, high-end Napa, or legendary Bordeaux, with the rest being far more obtainable on a budget of less than $100, often less than $50.
2018 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett- From the highly-revered Brauneberg Juffer vineyards of the Mosel River valley, this wine, in the low-alcohol/high-acid style of “Kabinett” is clear and crisp with a light hint of sweetness that gives the wine strong peach, green apple, lemon, lime, and tangerine flavors that dance on your palate with the lightest of steps. A beautiful wine to open while serving hors d’oeuvres, the 9% alcohol and fresh acidity make this perfect as an aperitif, or after dinner with light pastries or fresh fruit.
2020 Selbach Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Kabinett- Selbach Oster continues to defy logic by producing wines better than their competitors at equivalent price points without sacrificing a truly first-rate performance. Huge minerality and acidity make this wine both incredibly fresh and refreshing. From the Zeltinger Schlossberg vineyard along the Mosel river, this is hauntingly concentrated while still being remarkably balanced, bringing notes of tangerine, passionfruit, crisp green apple, and telltale lemon/lime giving the wine a long, concentrated finish with just a hint of sweetness to compliment the powerful fruit flavors, all at a delightful 9% ABV.
2019 Josmeyer Riesling “Les Pierrets,” Alsace- This bone-dry Riesling from Alsace is a testament to what Riesling means to this region now belonging to France, but formerly a part of Germany. This is a Riesling with some backbone, some verve, and some serious body which truly embraces the notion of “dry” with a 13% ABV and beautiful minerality thanks to the limestone marl soils. A Riesling that falls more onto the savory side, though still with pear, green apple, and lemon notes, this wine takes on a honeysuckle floral aspect while almost masquerading as mineral water with the amount of delicious minerality. This is the kind of wine that would stand up to any number of meals that call for a dry and minerally wine pairing, taking the place of wines like Picpoul or even Muscadet, and a wonderful accompaniment to fish dishes that include some citrus.
2022 H. Ludes Thornischer Riesling- Of all the Rieslings on our shelves, this may be the one most suited to people who love Sauvignon Blancs but wish they were a little higher in acidity and a little less grassy, an often-cited complaint for people who have come to love wines like Sancerre but not so much New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Made from 100% Riesling from the steepest vineyard in the Mosel valley, this wine has what can be best described as a screaming acidity, tempered by the tiniest hint of sweetness. Lemon and lime are the biggest players here, as well as an incredibly minerality reminiscent of limestone. This is the perfect wine if you are looking to have something spicy you might add citrus to, like fish tacos or ceviche, however it also makes for a phenomenal bottle to sit and enjoy on your porch on a warm summer night. Closer to “dry” than “off-dry”, this bottle is just wonderfully refreshing both on its own and with a meal.
2023 Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule- A very special wine Anderson’s ordered direct from Germany, this one is young, but has incredible potential. Though it may only be one bottle of wine, you wouldn’t know it when you take your first sip as it tastes as though they managed to cram 3 bottles of wine into one. Auslese is a style in which the concentration of flavors is prized above all, and this wine, even in its youth, is displaying that without question. White peach and green apple are the first to hit the palate, followed swiftly by a dizzying array of fruits: Asian pear, huge tangerine, prickly pear, kiwi, pineapple, and even a hint of Sweetarts candy, all accented by a hint of honey, honeysuckle, and of course lemon and lime. The sweetness of the wine is stronger than the Kabinett style, however it appears more in the background than foreground with the power and concentration of the fruits and acidity. This is a fantastic bottle to share at the end of a meal either with dessert or as dessert and has tremendous aging potential.
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