Riesling

Riesling is Germany's favourite varietal, and is the grape that goes up to make some of the greatest wines in the world. It comes in many styles, from bracing and bone dry to marvellously sweet, with flavours that range from apple and lime, to pebbles and slate, to peaches and honey. It's not a grape that everyone takes an instant liking to, but it produces powerful wines of superb quality and elegance. Brisk acidity and lower alcohol (9-12%) keep most Riesling wines clean and fresh in the mouth, even in the sweeter versions.

Some of the best values in the wine world today are the German Rieslings designated QbA and labelled 'Riesling'. The superior QmP white wines from Germany are by definition made from Riesling unless labelled otherwise. The Mosel region produces mostly light, floral wines with a slaty edge. Rheingau Rieslings are generally richer, fruitier and spicy. Both are surprisingly low in alcohol, and need a few years to mature before the flavours are at their best.

There are also the complex, sweet dessert wines made from Botrytis-affected, shrivelled berries, individually late-picked, and known by the mouthful of a name Trockenbeerenauslese or TBA for short (take a look at our guide to pronunciation if you want to try impressing your friends with this one!). If dry conditions follow a single day of wet, Riesling grapes left on the vine beyond normal ripeness can develop Nobel Rot (Edelfäule). The result of this non-toxic mould, Botrytis cinerea, is the shrivelling of the grapes, the evaporation of much of the juice, and the concentration of the sugar. These wines have not only incredibly intense and concentrated flavours, but also an amazing life span.

Just across the border into France, Alsace makes a more alcoholic dry, spicy Riesling. In Austria it's dry and minerally with a good weight of alcohol.

There have been some notable successes with Riesling in the New World, particularly in Australia's Clare Valley and Adelaide Hills. The wines tend to be bone-dry, with a delicious streak of lime cordial acidity. In Canada, winemakers in both Ontario and British Columbia use the grapes to produce a sumptuously sweet ice wine.

Other countries, including New Zealand, South Africa and the United States, have some decent Riesling, but Germany, Alsace and Australia have defined the key styles.