The real powerhouse, world wide, for Riesling production is, of course, Germany. And German wines have a bit of an image problem. But, in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century German Rieslings were as well regarded and as highly sought after as the great French reds. In something of a brand management stuff up by the 1960s and 70s the word 'Riesling' was being used on bottles of pretty much most German wines - regardless of the grape (or grapes) from which the wine was actually made. The good name of Riesling in particular and German wine in general was sullied.
At about the same time as Germany was sabotaging its reputation, over in Australia Riesling was turning into the most widely planted white grape variety! It wasn't until the late 80s/early 90s that Chardonnay overtook Riesling in the vineyards. I was truly gobsmacked by this and I'm interested in what was actually happening to all the grapes, as Australia's favourite white wine at the time was actually Lindeman's Ben Ean Moselle (not made from Riesling but a scary sounding concoction of Muscat, Gordo and Sultana - and yes, it was sweet).
These days, the two premium regions for Australian Riesling are the Clare and Eden Valleys. Riesling typically likes a cooler environment so it can indulge in a bit of slow ripening and they fit the bill. I always think of the Coonawarra as being hot but I would be wrong. It's a long way south of Adelaide and, with an average January temperature just below 20°C (Adelaide has an average of 30°C) it's the coolest of the South Australian wine regions.
Stumble It!