The Best Riesling Wineries Worldwide
Riesling is the most age-worthy white grape on Earth and the most honest about terroir. The slate of the Mosel, the gneiss of the Wachau, the granite of Alsace, the slate of the Clare Valley all produce strikingly different Rieslings. These producers have built their reputations on it.
Germany: the Mosel
The Riesling heartland. Egon Müller (Scharzhof), Joh. Jos. Prüm (Wehlen), Dr. Loosen (Bernkastel), Selbach-Oster (Zeltingen), and Willi Schaefer (Graach) are reference Mosel growers. Markus Molitor spans Mosel and Saar with reference dry bottlings.
Germany: the Rheingau and Pfalz
A different Riesling — fuller, drier, more orchard-fruited. Robert Weil (Rheingau), Schloss Johannisberg, Künstler, and Leitz are Rheingau references; Müller-Catoir, Bürklin-Wolf, and Reichsrat von Buhl are Pfalz references.
Germany: the Nahe
A surprisingly geologically diverse region. Dönnhoff (Oberhausen), Schäfer-Fröhlich (Bockenau), and Emrich-Schönleber (Monzingen) are reference producers of dry to sweet Riesling at very high quality.
Austria: Wachau, Kamptal, and Kremstal
Drier, more powerful Riesling. F. X. Pichler, Knoll, Hirtzberger, and Prager (all Wachau) are reference dry Rieslings; Bründlmayer and Schloss Gobelsburg in the Kamptal; Salomon Undhof in the Kremstal.
Alsace
A different idiom again — Grand Cru sites, sometimes drier and more mineral. Trimbach (Clos Sainte Hune), Domaine Weinbach, Zind-Humbrecht (Clos Saint-Urbain Rangen), Hugel, and Albert Boxler (Brand, Sommerberg) are reference Alsace Rieslings.
Clare Valley and Eden Valley, Australia
Lime-driven, bone-dry Riesling in a uniquely Australian style. Grosset (Polish Hill, Springvale), Pikes, Jim Barry (Florita), and Mount Horrocks in the Clare Valley; Pewsey Vale and Henschke in the Eden Valley.
Washington and the Finger Lakes
Eroica (a Chateau Ste. Michelle–Dr. Loosen joint venture) and Long Shadows lead the Washington Riesling scene; Hermann J. Wiemer, Dr. Konstantin Frank, and Bloomer Creek lead the New York Finger Lakes Riesling renaissance.
Explore on the map
Every estate above is on the interactive map. Filter by country and zoom to the Mosel bend, the Nahe, the Wachau, or the Clare Valley to build a Riesling-focused trip.