Wines to try for International Riesling Day

Riesling is a wonderfully versatile wine, with styles traversing the full gamut from dry, to off-dry, to sweet, and others in between. The variety is enjoyed young as well as aged, displaying zesty, juicy flavours of lemon, lime and tart Granny Smith apples when it is less ripe and richer, warmer flavours such as apricot, pineapple and ginger as it increases in sweetness. As it ages, it begins to show nutty and honeyed characters.

Riesling can be found in various Australian regions. As Jeni Port says, "We think we know where the riesling grape grows best in Australia. The Clare and Eden Valleys have the history and runs on the board, but the emergence of other regions has significantly broadened the grape’s repertoire." These include regions such as Canberra, WA’s Great Southern, Orange in NSW, Coal River Valley and Tamar Valley in Tasmania, and Heathcote in Victoria.

Wednesday March 13 is International Riesling Day. To help celebrate the occasion, below are nine riesling wines to try.

2025 ChaLou Wines Riesling

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ChaLou says: Our cool, high-altitude site is a unique terroir that allows us to harvest at a low Baume while achieving high aromatic maturity and excellent retention of natural acidity. We choose to retain residual sugar from fermentation, to craft an off-dry style that ties the aromatics and the palate, finishing with beautiful acidity and texture. 

Best enjoyed: For the best experience, we recommend serving this wine well-chilled at 7–10°C. It is a refreshing choice for warmer weather or as an aperitif. The ChaLou Riesling is also highly versatile with food, complementing spicy and salty dishes as well as serving as an excellent accompaniment for dessert. Pippies in XO sauce with Chilli. This is what I fell in love with off-dry Riesling. The salt and spice work perfectly with the off-dry aromatic precision of this wine.

RRP $35 | Drink to 2035 | chalouwines.com.au | Shop this wine

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Winemaker Leigh Clarnette says: Viticulturally, riesling is the most hardy white grape going around; it recovers well after heat stress better than a lot of reds! So, when it comes to expression of varietal characteristics this is the pinnacle of it year after year. 

Best enjoyed: This summer it has been so inviting to drink when I come home from work. This wine needs the cold, so pop it in the fridge and serve in a big glass out on the verandah with family or friends. Pairs perfectly with fish pate, sushi, or a plate of sardines. 

RRP $30 | Drink to 2034 | clarnettewines.com.au | Shop this wine

 

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Winemaker Elena Brooks says: I love this wine as it so versatile and complements many dishes. Its high acidity makes it a great choice to serve either as an apéretif or with fatty foods and seafood.

Best enjoyed: This powerful yet elegant riesling is perfect to accompany charcuterie, pate, or smoked fish. At 11.5 per cent alcohol, here is a wine demanding pre-luncheon attention – serve nicely chilled.

RRP $27 | Drink to 2033 | dandelionvineyards.com.au | Shop this wine

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Winemaker Peter Dredge says: Great wines tend to have great stories, and our story begins in the vineyard. Our riesling vines are part of the original vineyard planted at Meadowbank in 1974 – this was during a time when conventional wisdom said, “you can’t grow grapes in the Tasmanian wilderness”, it’s too wild and unpredictable. In an act of defiance, Meadowbank vineyard flourished with life.  

Best enjoyed: We can’t go past the spectacular array of Tassie seafood, particularly oysters! Or crayfish, caught fresh and cooked on the barbecue. In terms of glassware, we recommend you choose your own adventure – whether you’re in to fancy glassware and hosting dinner parties, drinking from plastic tumblers during family picnics, or necking this wine straight from the bottle – we guarantee it won’t disappoint. 

RRP $40 | Drink to 2033 | meadowbank.com.au | Shop this wine 

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Winemaker James Oliver says: High quality rieslings have a level of purity and transparency that few other white grapes manage to achieve. In my opinion, that makes them more terroir driven than all other whites and is the reason why I love making riesling.  

Best enjoyed: The lime and green apple characters on our 2023 Moores Hill Riesling will complement Asian dishes such as Thai beef salad or turmeric fish with coconut lemongrass broth.

RRP $35 | Drink to 2033 | mooreshill.com.au | Shop this wine 

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Winemaker Luke Whittle says: Our riesling vines were planted 50 years ago, back where it all started for Pipers Brook Vineyard. Ours is absolutely transparent in expressing region, site and vine age. The long slow ripening season creates intensely aromatic rieslings, our cool nights imparting gorgeous natural acidity. The end result is consistently long, fine and vibrant. 

Best enjoyed: Tasmania has such a bounty of fresh seafood available this time of the year, and what better way to enjoy it than with Tasmanian riesling on a sun drenched Tassie afternoon offset by a crisp breeze.

RRP $40 | Drink to 2044 | kreglingerwineestates.com | Shop this wine 

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Winemaker Keira O'Brien says: The refreshment and dynamic energy of riesling is what attracts me to this variety. In Tasmania, there’s a juiciness to the acidity which gives our rieslings an extra level of enjoyment as young wines. The perfume of this wine is glorious; there’s something new to discover every time you go back to the glass.  

Best enjoyed: I recently tasted this wine with Chayse Bertoncello at O.MY Restaurant in Beaconsfield (in Victoria), and remarked on their beautiful and extraordinarily light glassware. The handblown Klaret Glass white wine glass perfectly enhances the expressive aromatics of this wine. In terms of food pairings, I recommend serving this wine with fresh Melshell golden oysters from Great Oyster Bay, or a Tasmanian crayfish and fennel salad. 

RRP $42 | Drink to 2038 | rivuletwine.com | Shop this wine 

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Winemaker Keeda Zilm says: Australian riesling would not be what it is today without John Vickery (known as the 'Godfather of Australian riesling') and this wine celebrates all that his name and his career stands for. Everybody should love riesling as much as we do. It’s a wonderful wine for the Australian lifestyle and cuisine. 

Best enjoyed: This wine is best enjoyed with seafood, especially oysters, but it has enough acidity and flavour to deal with Asian and chicken dishes too. Serve cool in good glassware (RIEDEL or equivalent) and let it warm up in the glass. 

RRP $39 | Drink to 2040 | vickerywines.com.au | Shop this wine 

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Winemaker Elena Brooks says: I feel I am the custodian of these 112-year-old vines. Like how Colin Kroehn tended this Eden Valley riesling vineyard for 66 of his 86 years and then passed it onto me, I will one day pass it onto the next talented winemaker to nurture, and narrate through wine, the story of this unique place. Our Wonderland presents beautiful minerality from the pink and white quartz in the soil and the coolness of the location, making for a very elegant riesling with pronounced acidity. 

Best enjoyed: Avoid over-chilling this super-fine riesling. Savour the full-flavour and complexity of this beautiful wine by using riesling stemware, and serve with the freshest abalone dish you can find. 

RRP $60 | Drink to 2033 | dandelionvineyards.com.au | Shop this wine