Happy 590th Birthday Riesling!
The historic Riesling story, as explained to me and that I’ve reported on here in the past, begins historically with Count Katzenelnbogen, German wine extraordinaire, logged the first evidence of the Riesling grape near the Rheingau region on March 13, 1435, hence the birthday. One of his administrators bought a new white grape variety from a vineyard in Rüsselsheim for 22 shillings, and it caused a stir, as this grape variety, now know as Riesling, was much better in terms of quality than was typical for the time with its later ripening and its being more resistant to frost, and with a much more expressive aromatically. Thus, the Riesling legend was born and soon it was transported to other parts of Germany, maybe most notably the Mosel where it gained favor with Roman Catholic controlled vineyards in the region. As I’ve noted before, in my own casual research, the Riesling varietal’s origins remain a bit of a mystery, though it is widely believed to have been a native crossing of a German wild grape in the Rheingau, and Traminer as well as Weißer Heunisch a grape that at one time was popular in both France where it was known as Gouais Blanc.
Also of note, for the birth of Riesling’s fame, Kloster Eberbach, which was founded in 1136 by Bernard of Clairvaux as the first Cistercian monastery on the east bank of the Rhein River, played a big role in bringing attention to the grape. Eberbach, a Cistercian monastery in Eltville in the Rheingau, quickly became one of the largest and most active wine producing monasteries of Germany. Kloster Eberbach today, still producing wine, and with its Romanesque and early Gothic buildings is considered one of the most significant architectural heritage sites in the region, a must visit for German wine and Riesling lovers. Riesling’s noble past is such that for arguably 200 hundred years it was the greatest white wine in the world, when it was traded for sometimes at astonishing high prices for the times, it was mentioned in historical written records dating back to the 13th century with mentions in Germany and Austria as early as 1232, though it came to prominence between 1570 and 1780. The grape’s current spelling “Riesling” looks to have been established back in 1552, it is likely the name was derived from German words that actually mean poor flowering vine or dark hard wood.
Thanks to Wines of Germany USA for sharing the joy of Riesling!