Riesling Rules Book

Riesling is an exceptionally versatile wine for food pairing because of its balance of sugar and acidity. It can be paired with cuisines as varied as European, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Asian and Fusion.

Riesling can pair with some of the most obscure combinations of foods. One should experiment with adventurous Riesling pairings. Below is a table that captures some of the classic pairings and suggests some bolder ones:

Riesling is an extremely versatile grape capable of producing world-class wines in all styles from bone dry to sparkling to intensely sweet. No other grape is able to express itself through this full stylistic spectrum with such grace and competence. Riesling is able to do so both because of its high natural acidity and potential to develop high sugar levels.

For wine, acidity is a great ally. Acidity is a natural preservative, allowing wines to age and develop more gracefully (and longer) in the bottle, while providing the structure or backbone around which the wine is built. Acidity also provides a counterpoint to sweetness and has a balancing effect upon wines that are made with measurable residual sugar.

When we drink wine, acidity provides our palates with a sensation of freshness, brightness and liveliness. The acidity cleanses our palate when consuming food, helping to keep us interested in both what we are eating and drinking. Wines without sufficient acidity can appear dull, boring or flat, or as if nothing is there to hold them together (lacking balance and harmony).

There’s a Riesling to fit any situation and circumstance – to pair with cuisine as diverse as the lightest seafood and salads to the richest meat dishes and complex sauces to even sweet desserts. The fun challenge is discovering the right Riesling for a particular food and occasion.

Most sommeliers will tell you that the worst enemies of wine pairings are asparagus, artichokes, tomatoes and eggs.

ASPARAGUS are very fragrant and rich in methionin, a sulfur-containing amino acid that makes everything taste somewhat vegetal. A solution is to grill the asparagus and to serve it with a sauce. Unoaked white wines such as Riesling will make a great match.

ARTICHOKES are rich in cynarine, which enhances the sweetness of a wine and can make the wine taste flabby and bitter. A very dry Riesling is probably one of the few wines that can stand up to artichokes.

TOMATOES are high in acid and the underlying acidity clashes with wine. Riesling can present an elegant solution, especially if the Riesling is crafted in an Alsatian style (about 1.5% residual sugar) because the slight sugar helps complement the tomatoes’ acidity but does not disrupt it.

The yolk of an EGG has a tendency to tame wine aromas and the egg’s sulfurous scent can interfere with the wine. A bright Riesling with high acid is almost always the perfect pairing. Based on the preparation of the egg, the appropriate Riesling can be sweet or dry.