This guide to the best Riesling wine will focus on affordable wines made in a few regions. In white wines (and dry wine), Riesling is one of the most popular choices. The variety is made in multiple styles, including sweet wines and dry. I may make more white wine deep dives covering varieties like Grüner Veltliner or Viognier if you like this guide.
Where Can You Find The Best Riesling Wine?
If you look thoroughly, it’s possible to find excellent Riesling wine everywhere. This guide focused on a few wine regions like Germany and the northern United States. I have focused on these regions because they are relatively easy to find. After trying these wines, keep exploring areas like South Australia, South Africa, the Casablanca Valley of Chile, and beyond to find more delightful Riesling wines. Once you find your bottle, take a moment to learn the answer to this question: Should Riesling Be Chilled?
Without any further ado, let’s look at a few examples of the best Riesling wine currently on the market.
German Rieslings (Including Austria)
Your journey to discover the best Riesling wine should start with German Rieslings. Germany is typically regarded as one of the best wine regions in terms of cool climates. Germany has grown Riesling wine grapes for many years. The country’s maniacal wine passion for Riesling means that German wines cannot be overlooked.
1) Dr. Hermann Erdener Treppchen Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Goldkapsel
- Wine Region: Mosey, Germany
- Alcohol Content: under 10%
- Average Price: $259 for a half bottle
Our guide to German Riesling starts with Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese – expensive wines worth the high price tag. This sweet dessert wine has earned very high ratings in the wine enthusiast community – 95 out of 100. Due to the high residual sugar level, the wine offers intense aromas and an engaging herbal aftertaste. If your quest for the best Riesling wine has a smaller budget, don’t worry – there are plenty of affordable wines elsewhere in this guide.
2) Von Othegraven Kanzemer Altenberg Riesling Kabinett
- Wine Region: Mosey, Germany
- Alcohol Content: 9.7%
- Average Price: $40
This white wine from Mosel is well-reviewed for its peach, apricot, and flavors of lime. Reviewers consider it an off-dry wine and comment positively on its acidity. The winery is located in western Germany right next to Luxembourg from a wine travel perspective.
3) Weiser-Künstler Trabener Gaispfad Riesling Kabinett Trocken
- Wine Region: Mosey, Germany
- Alcohol Content: 11.5%
- Average Price: $35
This German wine is a solid entry in the category of dessert wines. The wine has earned an average rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars on Vivino. This German Riesling’s 2015 and 2014 vintages have won even higher praise, so look for those bottles. This German wine offers tropical fruits and a significant amount of acidity.
4) Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese
- Wine Region: Mosey, Germany
- Alcohol Content: 7.5%
- Average Price: $33
This sweet wine from Mosel is considered a good food pairing for fruit-style desserts like an apple pie or berry pie. Even better, this sweet dessert wine has received high praise from wine critics – the 2018 and 2017 vintages have won recognition. Unlike tawny port, this German Riesling has a relatively low alcohol level.
5) Julian Haart Mosel Riesling
- Wine Region: Mosel, Germany
- Alcohol Level: 11.5%
- Average Price: under $20
Are you looking for the best Riesling wine at reasonable prices? If so, this delicious wine deserves a close look. The 2019 and 2020 vintages have earned good ratings of 4 to 4.1 out of 5 on Vivino. You may notice citrus aromas as you start to drink this wine. According to wine drinkers, the flavor profile includes green apple notes, lime, and grapefruit. Unlike the sweet dessert wine mentioned above, some consider this wine bone-dry. If your wine experience has been limited to semi-sweet Riesling in the past, this dry wine deserves a place in your wine collection.
6) Schloss Johannisberg Grunlack Riesling Spatlese
- Wine Region: Rheingau, Germany
- Alcohol Level: 8.8%
- Average Price: $51
Notice how the wine name includes the term Spatlese? That’s German for “late harvest.” The winemaking process tends to produce a sweet wine by making the wine from ripe grapes. Therefore, if you dislike high sweetness levels, you may want to avoid “Spatlese” German wine.
This white wine has a 69 grams per liter sugar content. Given that sugar level, this wine goes best with sweet fruit, candied fruits, and other fruity deserts. A simple fruit platter also works well.
7) Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling Kamptal
- Wine Region: Kamptal, Austria
- Alcohol Level: 12.5%
- Average Price: $20
Austrian wine doesn’t tend to get a lot of attention – let’s change that by reviewing Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling Kamptal. Please don’t write off this wine due to its affordable price. The winery comes from a region making wine for over 800 years. The 2020 vintage of Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling Kamptal has earned high ratings from wine drinkers, so look for that one. Instead of orange zest, this wine offers lime and grapefruit notes.
French Riesling
Travel By Glass was born focusing on French wines, so we’ll cover a few of those wines here. These wines share some common ground with their German counterparts. Yet you will find that a Riesling from Alsace also has some interesting differences compared to a Rhine Riesling (or a Washington Riesling, for that matter).
8) Domaine Zind Humbrecht Riesling Alsace
- Wine Region: Alsace, France
- Alcohol Level: 12%
- Average Price: $30
Alsace has a well-deserved reputation for top-rated Riesling, so that we will start the French section of the best Riesling wine there. The white wine has earned high ratings for its 2014 and 2011 vintages, so look for those if you can find them.
9) Schlumberger Riesling
- Wine Region: Alsace, France
- Alcohol Level: 12-13%
- Average Price: $26
This off-dry French wine has a light body. It pairs well with fresh soft cheese and game meats. The wine has an average critic score of 88 out of 100 from wine experts. If possible, seek out the 2016 vintage, which won several awards from the Global Riesling Masters. The wine has aromatic notes of lemon. The French approach to the Riesling grape variety provides an exciting contrast to the German wines.
10) Domaine Bott-Geyl Riesling Schoenenbourg
- Wine Region: Alsace, France
- Alcohol Level: 13%
- Average Price: $35
This Alsace Grand Cru has earned high ratings in the wine enthusiast community (i.e., an average score of 91 out of 100 points). The wine offers a crisp acidity that helps it combine effectively with spicy dishes. According to wine enthusiast Natalie MacLean, the 2021 vintage goes well with sushi and curry shrimp dishes.
11) F E Trimbach Riesling
- Wine Region: Alsace, France
- Alcohol Level: 12.5%
- Average Price: $23
The Trimbach Riesling wine is one of the most respected French Alsace Rieslings on the market. Over the past decade, this wine has earned multiple awards from Wine Spectator, the International Wine Challenge, and the TEXSOM International Wine Awards. This winery is also significant from a wine history perspective. In business since 1626, this winery has had incredible expertise in producing complex wines.
Are you wondering what to eat with this well-regarded wine? This French Riesling wine can pair well with light-cured meats on a charcuterie board. Avoid cured meat with heavy amounts of smoking and spice for the best results. For more tips on food pairings, read the book “Big Macs & Burgundy.” To discover more, check out these ten reasons why Big Macs & Burgundy is the best food-wine pairing book.
American Riesling
The United States, especially Washington State and New York, produce some of the country’s best white wines, including Riesling. This section will cover a few types, such as Columbia Valley Riesling and Oregon’s Willamette Valley. America produces a wide range of approaches to this white grape variety, keeping life interesting for wine enthusiasts. American Rieslings are available in various styles, including dry wines and sweet dessert wines.
12) Eroica Gold Riesling
- Wine Region: Columbia Valley, Washington, USA
- Alcohol Level: 9.5%
- Average Price: $43
This Columbia Valley Riesling is a great choice to accompany spicy dishes. In terms of fruity flavors, this wine features apricots and peaches. It would also pair well with fruity desserts, given the wine’s sweetness. That said, one reviewer enjoyed pairing this wine with Oreo cookies!
13) Elk Cove Estate Riesling
- Wine Region: Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
- Alcohol Level: 12%
- Average Price: $35
This dry Riesling wine has several intense flavors for wine drinkers like green apple, lemon, and lime. This Oregon Riesling offers elderflower and orange blossom in terms of floral notes. This wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks, an approach to winemaking that contrasts using French oak barrels.
14) Hermann J. Wiemer Dry Riesling
- Wine Region: Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes, New York, USA
- Alcohol Level: 12%
- Average Price: $26
The Finger Lakes region of New York is known for its white wines. Our exploration of the region will start with Hermann J. Wiemer. The wine offers apple flavors along with notes of peach and apricot. The wine also has a mineral note that balances the wine’s acidity. If you can, seek out 2011, 2016, and 2019 vintages because they have gained high ratings from wine drinkers.
15) Smith-Madrone Winery & Vineyards Riesling
- Wine Region: Napa Valley, California, USA
- Alcohol Level: 12.9%
- Average Price: $30
Much of the best Riesling wine is made in cool climate wine regions. However, this Napa Valley shows it is more than possible to create Riesling in a warmer climate. The 2017 vintage earned a wine drinker rating of 4.4 out of 5 on Vivino. Less than 1500 cases (a case is 12 bottles) of this wine made, so act fast if you want to taste it!
16) Bouchaine Riesling Las Brisas Vineyard
- Wine Region: Napa Valley, California, UA
- Alcohol Level: 13.4%
- Average Price: $30
This dry Riesling wine offers peach flavors and apple notes. This dry wine has won multiple awards, including the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and Dan Berger’s International Wine Competition. IF you like this winery, take a look at their other varieties – Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Food Pairings For The Best Riesling Wine
Deciding what to eat with your bottle of Riesling is easy. First, you need to identify the type of wine you have. First, choose whether you want to have sweet or dry wine tonight. We’ll start with dry wine since that is the most popular choice.
Food Pairings For Dry Riesling
Several popular dishes go with a dry Riesling.
Asian dishes
Several kinds of Asian foods work well with Riesling. For example, a classic pairing brings spicy Thai food or Indian food with Riesling. The natural sweetness in Riesling acts as a pleasant contrast to the intensity of the spicy
Salmon and Tuna
Beyond Asian dishes and spicy food, enjoy the best Riesling wine with seafood dishes like salmon and tuna. I have you covered if you have tried Riesling with sushi and want something different. Check out this guide to red wine with sushi.
Chicken Dishes
There are several options you can try. When you have plenty of time on a weekend, try making Coq au Riesling. According to the New York Times, this recipe takes about 90 minutes to make. Remember that it takes an entire 750 ml bottle of Riesling, so don’t count on leftover wine to enjoy your meal.
Pan-seared chicken is another option that works well with Riesling. In this case, Riesling adds to the sauce. According to the Saveur recipe, you only need a half cup of Riesling. If you want to enjoy wine from the same bottle when you sit down for dinner, that’s good news.
Cheese Options
With a dry Riesling wine, soft creamy cheese is the best pick – pick up some Brie or Camembert.
Food Pairings With A Sweeter Style Riesling
Food pairings are a bit different with semi-sweet Rieslings (and this goes for most sweet wines). The classic option is to pair a sweeter Riesling with a fruit dessert. Cheese options like feta, aged gouda, and blue cheese are also included.
Riesling Icewine Food Pairing
Pairing food with a Riesling icewine is another story. Your best bet is to enjoy a light dessert of fruit featuring fruit. For example, Greek Orange Pie (i.e., Portokalopita) can go well with Riesling.
Discover More About Other White Wines
Now that you know your way around the best Riesling wine, you might be curious to discover more about other white wines. Check out this guide to the best Chardonnay wine from France and the United States.
