World's Best Riesling Wine Regions
Here, a guide to the world's best Riesling wine regions from Germany to California, plus the wineries, bottles and winemakers you need to know.
World's Best Riesling Regions
Germany
Cult Favorite: Egon Müller
The fruit for the Müller family's best Rieslings comes from the Mosel's prized, slate-soiled Scharzhofberg vineyard.
Go-to Producer: Selbach-Oster
Johannes Selbach's stellar wines range from the easy-to-find Fish Label to the elusive Selbach-Oster eiswein.
Up-and-Comer: Eva Fricke
Formerly the vineyard manager for Riesling expert Johannes Leitz, Eva Fricke is making a name for herself with fiercely dry wines.
Austria
Cult Favorite: Weingut Knoll
A sommelier favorite, Emmerich Knoll is a legend in the Wachau for rich wines that can age seemingly forever.
Go-to Producer: Schloss Gobelsburg
Michael Moosbrugger is preserving the low-tech winemaking practices of this 12th-century monastery.
Up-and-Comer: Veyder-Malberg
Peter Veyder-Malberg's spicy, dry Rieslings come from extraordinarily steep, rocky, terraced vineyards in the Wachau.
Alsace, France
Cult Favorite: Domaine Zind-Humbrecht
Olivier Humbrecht, a champion of biodynamics, focuses on grand cru and single-vineyard wines.
Go-to Producer: Trimbach
The 13th generation of the Trimbach family continues the tradition of value at every price, down to its basic Riesling ($25).
Up-and-Comer: Mittnacht Frères
Australia
Cult Favorite: Grosset
Its Polish Hill Riesling is one of Australia's most sought-after wines for its mineral intensity and concentrated fragrance.
Go-to Producer: Penfolds
Winemaker Peter Gago's Rieslings—the limey, mouth-filling Bin 51 ($40) and Thomas Hyland ($14)—rival his popular Shiraz.
Up-and-Comer: Some Young Punks
Its comic-book label and name ("Monsters, Monsters, Attack!") belie the Riesling's serious deliciousness.
Washington State
Cult Favorite: Poet's Leap
Armin Diel brings the experience of nine generations of winemakers from Germany's Schlossgut Diel to this project.
Go-to Producer: Chateau Ste. Michelle
Washington's largest producer has access to terrific fruit from across the state, which shows in its wines.
Up-and-Comer: Efeste
Its juicy, tangerine-scented Riesling, sourced from the cool- climate Evergreen Vineyard, may well be Efeste's best wine.
Finger Lakes, New York
Cult Favorite: Hermann J. Wiemer
Wiemer produces some of the best Riesling in the US, using German clones grafted onto American rootstock.
Go-to Producer: Dr. Konstantin Frank
The Frank family has been growing grapes in the Finger Lakes for three generations—an amazing legacy in the US.
Up-and-Comer: Heart & Hands
Husband-and-wife team Tom and Susan Higgins produce tiny amounts of exceptional Riesling and Pinot Noir.
California
Cult Favorite: Smith-Madrone
Brothers Charles and Stuart Smith have been making beautiful Riesling from a six-acre plot in Napa Valley for 40 years.
Go-to Producer: Navarro
The cool, long season in Mendocino lets grapes ripen slowly and evenly, resulting in wonderful notes of spice and ripe fruit.
Up-and-Comer: Tatomer
A protégé of Austria's Emmerich Knoll, Graham Tatomer emulates Knoll's intense style in his own Santa Barbara Rieslings.