German Riesling is a ballerina, Austrian Riesling is a linebacker.
Good analogy, though I have had more than a few Pfalz GGs that were bulky ballerinas.
Nice angle of comparison…
And i think lots of Alsace sites are granite, sandstone or volcanic soils, so this could be an interesting difference in their respective terroirs.
No experience with Austrian rieslings, but from what I’ve tasted I would suggest Alsatian wines from producers I know can be on the richer, smokier, more lush spectrum, while German rieslings often have more crystal clear fruit and acidity, and a perceptible saltiness in the finish.
the most distinctive Austrian Rieslings are grown in the primordial rock (Urgestein) and gneiss of the Wachau – one notable exception being Rudi Pichler’s Steinriegl (limestone, he calls it ‘the Blonde’) – the sandstone, sediments and conglomerates of the Heilgenstein in Zöbing, as well as limestone in Vienna’s Nussberg (Jutta Ambrosich’s Ried Preussen being a stellar example).
FWIW, i’ll happily drink a bottle of riesling from any of those areas. While I started as an Austria 1st kinda guy, I have come to discover German dry rieslings from Baden, Franken, etc. that punch well above their weight and offer significant QPR vs comparable Austrians. Not to say the 2015 Gobelsburger isn’t the greatest QPR in dry riesling in a few years, but I tend to find more delicious Germans under $30. If I spending the coin, it’s Alzinger all day every day.
While i’ll drink the Alsace rieslings, I prefer their pinot blancs. Great QPRs.
Count me in the crowd that’s with Glenn. I love Auslese, although it’s frustrating not knowing (of course one can always find out from those who do know) just how sweet a given one will be, as there is quite a gamut. What with all the stars, the gold caps, and what have you!
Indeed. Trocken, halbtrocken, kabinett - they can all shine with LOTS of dinners. It’s rarer that I’d reach for a spatlese or auslese (which becomes chicken-and-egg with buying fewer) but those can be absolutely killer when paired well.
And lots to like from all these regions and, as mentioned, one or two others.
Alsatians vary considerably in sweetness and style too, but the designation won’t clue you in as much as the Germans will. Maybe some day we’ll have a way to seek that sort of information about wines without phoning the producer? 
Not that I picture the good doc truly descending into a massive shame spiral over this…
Alsace Riesling has suffered badly from the ‘riper is better and gets more score’ affliction for most of the current generation…
I’m glad someone finally said it.
Like everywhere else, people’s palates can differ here - I love, for example, many of the wines that Olivier Humbrecht makes, and he is certainly not shy about producing ripe wines.
Olivier Humbrecht will understand the German language if you shout at him in it from fifteen feet across the room;
otherwise, the good folk of Alsace are currently lost in an identity crisis (crise d’identité) and inclined to supress this element of their heritage.
Fifteen years ago the signs in front of the restaurants said Flammekuchen; now the signs read Tarte Flambée – same dish…
Great thread. You really should all three on your own as there is something to enjoy in Rieslings from all three of these fabulous regions. I love all three though I lean heavily towards the German Pradikat style of wine. My general thoughts:
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German Riesling’s hallmark to me is its natural high acidity combined with a trademark minerality and light body. I’ve yet to come across any wine whose acidity is as high, even Rieslings from other regions, and I have tasted GG’s that should’ve been heavy but ended up being crystalline despite the much higher ABV. In terms of winemaking style, they are unique in their Pradikatwein’s combo of sweetness and lower ABV which sets them apart from everyone. I’m a huge Spatlese and Auslese fan but also have great respect and a few bottles of GG and Kabinett style German Riesling as well. On the flip side, I have heard it derided more than once as the lemonade of wine and though I clearly love the stuff I am hard pressed to disagree at times.
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Austrian Riesling astounds me as it completely goes against expectations with a dry style and a fuller body that I would describe as creamy on the palate. From what I can discern, a lot of Austrian Riesling is oak aged as well which definitely helps round out the body. I find it generally trades off higher acidity for more complexity. It can be quite the shock, though, if you are expecting the high acidity and steeliness of a German Riesling.
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Alsacian Riesling is the purest and most crystalline of all Rieslings to me with the fullest body. I readily admit as an avowed Alsacian wine lover, however, that not only is it my least favorite style of Riesling but it is also my least favorite Alsacian wine. For some reason, the terroir and winemaking style that produces the most amazing smoky Pinot Gris and ginger spiced Gewurztraminer in the world also manages to make the most homogenized Riesling as well. At its worst, I can’t tell Alsacian Riesling apart from Alsacian Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc or Muscat which are all considered “lower” grapes in Alsace.
BUT… when I come across an Alsacian Riesling that strives to be different and great I go completely head over heels. My favorite Alsacian Rieslings all are so different from each other it’s hard to believe they’re all Alsacian. Some are crystalline lemon drop in liquid form; some have residual sugar and come across like a refined version of a Spatlese with a fuller body; others manage to achieve a German level of acidity in a rich and smooth Alsacian body. Of all Rieslings, I would say that Alsacian provides the biggest adventure for wine drinkers in terms of hit or miss.
who told you that Austrian Riesling is aged in oak?
GGs sweet? I thought they were required to legally dry (with whatever low level of residual sugar that entails). Some are so rich that they seem low in acid, but I don’t think they are ever actually sweet.
Which category was derided as lemonade? I find it hard to think of either Kabinett or the GGs as warranting that slur.
I prefer the German Grauburgunders (=pinot gris) by far to the Alsatians. The pinot gris almost all seem to my palate oily and low in acid. The Grauburgunders have the complexity of the grape with structure to keep them fresh. Sadly, they’re very hard to find in North America.
John, you can save yourself a lot of stress and agro by drinking PG from Oregon. Better than most Germans and more satisfying than many €€€ from Alsace
Well, the reason I love the Austrian Rieslings that I love is exactly the high acidity and steeliness that they have. This is why I do not like to make generalizations: you absolutely do have the very concentrated, high ABV Rieslings with low acidity (at least on the palate) but none of my numerous favorites from Austria are like that. In terms of Wachau the Federspiel category is full of low-to-medium bodied, beautifully steely and acidic wines of 12-12.5 % ABV that taste way more of rock than fruit.
Some are (usually in big foudres of old oak) - some are not (but in stainless steel)!
There is almost never any hint of NEW oak detectable …
Getting past the discussion on the relative weights and acids of the wine, I’m also interested in people’s thoughts on the comments from the Alsatian winemakers about German wines. In the Wine-Searcher article, Isabelle Meyer from Josmeyer says:
“Germans do a lot of work in the cellar, with cultured yeasts and temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. The result is high precision and high clarity of the wines, but often only one aromatic identity emerges and dominates. My ‘Le Dragon’ Riesling is less perfect overall than some German Rieslings, but it offers more charm, with more complex and interesting aromas.”
The insinuation seems to be that the German wines are technically good but soulless. Is this an indictment more of the lower end or is this view prevalent of German wines up and down the range? While undoubtedly precise, I’ve never thought of German wines as charmless.
counter to many people and my own preconceived notions from many years ago I generally prefer Oregonian Pinot Blanc to Pinot Gris. Though that may be a function of which producers I’ve tried (small set).
the Germans that I know do a lot of work in the vineyards before they do a lot of work in the cellar.
for example, I can think of more than a couple growers in the Nahe – that microcosm of German viticulture – who in no way sacrifice
any of their wines’ diversity of expression in favour of clarity and precision.
and as a sad footnote, I have just seen that Isabelle’s father Jean Meyer left us in January of this year.
One of the great men of Alsace wine.