A Truly Fine Wein

Tiring of those taste-alike chardonnays? Riesling (pronounced reezling) is the antidote. The true riesling (a.k.a. Johannisberg Riesling) has its origins in Germany, but it can now be found all over the world and is developing cult status among growers and drinkers. A 1999 Riesling Single Berry Select made by Ernst Loosen and Chateau Ste. Michelle of Washington State in the U.S. has been awarded 97 points by the Wine Spectator, the highest-ever rating for an American white.

Like the great sauternes, riesling is susceptible to so-called noble rot, in which the Botrytis cinerea fungus dehydrates the grapes and concentrates their juice so that they produce wines of immense richness. Germany's top-rated rieslings are all Botrytis wines to varying degrees. Most German wine qualifies as Qualitätswein (quality wine), but the better ones are deemed Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP) and can be ranked (roughly) as follows:

Kabinett: the entry-level QmP. Delicate and often made in a dryer style.

Spätlese: the name means "late-harvest," and the additional ripeness of the grapes makes them good candidates for dry, or trocken, wines.

Auslese: quality starts to build at this ripeness. It can be made dry, but the classic Auslese is sweet, often with a touch of Botrytis.

Beerenauslese: wines made only in exceptional years from overripe, Botrytis-infected grapes that are individually selected.

Trockenbeerenauslese: a confusing name. This is not a dry Beerenauslese but a "super" Beerenauslese made from grapes that are even "dryer" or more shriveled by Botrytis, thus yielding even more concentrated juice for these legendary wines.

Eiswein: "Ice wine" is made from grapes left on the vine in hopes that a frost will beat the birds to the berries. If that happens, the grapes are pressed and the frozen water crystals skimmed off, leaving only the concentrated juice.