Why wine lovers need to rethink German rieslings – they’re not all sweetness and light

Many wine drinkers are under the impression that all German rieslings are sweet. They’ll probably be surprised to learn that two-thirds of German wines in the 2014 vintage were classified as trocken (dry) or halbtrocken (semi-dry), according to wine writer Andrew Jefford.

The British writer does not regard this as a positive trend. “If everything is sappy and spotless and dry and around 12.5 per cent, from north to south, haven’t we lost as much as we’ve gained? Might ‘the Big Dry’ not make German wine more same-y?” he writes.

However, this knowledge may encourage more wine lovers to try German riesling and change the perception that it is all sugary sweet and watery, with searing acidity. Leading producers are now creating wines that are minerally and zesty, and great accompaniments to food.

Jefford urges a review of German riesling stereotypes. “Or maybe we drinkers simply have to relearn our German wines, stop looking for differently shaped and contoured arabesques of fruit in them, and start to hunt for secondary complexity and nuances, hidden inside a tautness of contour and a new sheerness of flavour.”

For wine lovers venturing into this brave new worldin search of drier rieslings, here are two prod­ucers you might like to consider.