Snooth has issued a list of its top 10 Riesling producers in the world. See here on Snooth.
Riesling in the World
Worldwide, there are about 34.000 hectares planted with Riesling. Germany – with 22.400 hectares – accounts for 2/3 of the total. The second largest Riesling producer is Australia, with 4500 hectares. But this is only about 1/10 of the total. Alsace follows with 3500 hectares. Austria, with 1800 hectares, the US with Washington State and New York State as well as New Zealand make up the remainder. But overall, Riesling is really a niche wine, accounting for only less than 1 percent of total wine production in the world - but a very special niche wine.
Dry and Sweet Riesling
Many wine drinkers, in particular outside of Europe, when they see a Riesling in the shelves, have the association of a sweet-style wine. This is however misguided. Rieslings as a rule are dry wines. Of course, there are the famous sugar sweet Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Eiswein and Schilfwein wines from Austria and Germany, the Sélection de Grains Nobles from France, the icewines from Canada and other Rieslings, made from botrytized, dried or frozen grapes. The grapes that go into these wines have such a high sugar content that there is nothing you can do to make dry wines out of these grapes. They inevitably produce nobly sweet wines. But apart from these exceptions, which account for only a tiny share of total production, Riesling grapes in Germany, Austria, Alsace, the US and Australia have normal sugar content at the time of fermentation and tend to produce dry wines, when fully fermented.
However, modern cellar methods allow winemakers in Germany to produce wines with a bit of residual sugar with these grapes. There are principally two methods applied in Germany – but neither in Austria nor Alsace - for making these sweet-style Rieslings. First, you do not let the fermentation run its course and stop it; as a result, you get a deliciously sweet and low alcohol wine. Second, you let the wine fully ferment to a normal alcohol level and then add Suessreserve (sterilized juice) to achieve the desired degree of sweetness. These sweet-style wines have lost popularity in Germany, although there appears to be a comeback, but in any case remain very popular outside of Germany, for example in the US.
Gregory Dal Piaz
The list was established by Gregory Dal Piaz, editor-in-chief of Snooth. I can imagine how difficult it was to establish such a list. Probably, he started out with say 50 winemakers and then narrowed it down to 10. Well, 40 had to go. This is not easy and Gregory had to make tough choices. Overall, his list is excellent, although I have some doubts as to the inclusion of at least 3 producers on the list.
Also, only 4 producers are from Germany, although 6 to 7 out of 10 bottles of Riesling produced in the world are made in Germany. Austria and Alsace seem to be e overrepresented. Austria is a marginal Riesling producer, but 2 producers made it to the list.
4 German Producers
Doennhoff
A German elite wine producer from the Nahe.
Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben
Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben could perhaps been considered for inclusion in this list 20 or 30 years ago, but is no longer an elite wine producer.
Joh. Jos. Pruem
An elite producer of fruity sweet and noble sweet wines from the Mosel region
See also: JJ Pruem Goes Supermarket: Meeting Katharina Pruem and Tasting the Incredible JJ Pruem Wines at Wegmans
Robert Weil
The King of the Rheingau Riesling.
See: Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Germany
1 Australian Producer
Grosset
The King of Australian Riesling.
2 Alsatian Producers
Trimbach
An elite winemaker from Alsace.
See:
Visiting Jean Trimbach at Maison Trimbach in Ribeauville in Alsace
The World Class Wines of Alsace
Jean Trimbach and the Wines of Maison Trimbach in Washington DC
Boxler
Boxler makes good wines but is not in the same league as the others on the list.
2 Austrian Producers
F. X. Pichler
A world class winemaker from the Wachau.
Alzinger
A very good Austrian producers, also from the Wachau, perhaps a tick behind F.X. Pichler (and a few others).
1 American Producer
Hermann J Wiemer
A German from the Mosel Valley, Hermann J. Wiemer has become the father of American Riesling, from the Finger Lakes.
German Winemakers in the World: Hermann J. Wiemer
schiller-wine: Related Postings
Germany’s 2011 VDP Grosses Gewaechs – Grand Cru - Wines Released. Notes from the Pre-release Tasting in Wiesbaden, Germany
When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose
The Doctor Made a House Call - A Tasting with Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at MacArthur Beverages in Washington DC, USA
Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Germany
Best German Wines – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2012
German Spaetlese Wines Can Come in Different Versions. I Have Counted Five.
Visiting Agnes and Fritz Hasselbach at their Weingut Gunderloch in Nackenheim, Rheinhessen, Germany
Visiting Weingut Josef Leitz in Ruedesheim – Johannes Leitz is Germany’s Winemaker of the Year, Gault Millau WeinGuide 2011
Impressions from the Riesling and Co World Tour 2010 in New York
The Wines of Franz Kuenstler from Hochheim, Rheingau, Germany
Hanging out with Rheingau Winemakers: Dirk Wuertz, Desiree Eser, Alexander Jakob Jung, Hansi Bausch and Christian Ress in Hattenheim, Rheingau, Germany
Meeting Winemaker/Owner Desiree Eser, Weingut August Eser, at the Banks of the Rhein River in the Rheingau in Germany
The VDP - the Powerful Group of German Elite Winemakers - Refines its Classification System, Germany
Visiting Armin and Caroline Diel and their Schlossgut Diel in Burg Layen in Germany
Hanging out with Rheingau Winemakers: Dirk Wuertz, Desiree Eser, Alexander Jakob Jung, Hansi Bausch and Christian Ress in Hattenheim, Rheingau, Germany
Visiting Colette Faller at Domaine Weinbach in Kaysersberg in Alsace
Visiting Jean Trimbach at Maison Trimbach in Ribeauville in Alsace
The World Class Wines of Alsace
In the Glass: Hugel et Fils wines at the cuisine des emotions de Jean Luc Brendel at Riquewihr in Alsace
In the world class white wine region Alsace
Jean Trimbach and the Wines of Maison Trimbach in Washington DC
German Winemakers in the World: Hermann J. Wiemer
German American Wines: (1) NV Two Worlds Pinot Noir, (2) Poet's Leap Riesling and (3) Herrmann J. Wiemer and his Finger Lakes Rieslings
hilarious! talking about best riesling in the world, where is Egon Müller???
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