Riesling is one of the most popular white wine varieties among Australian oenophiles, and it's not hard to see why. Far from the confected, overly sweet styles of old, the rieslings grown on Australian soil today are often fresh and always versatile, with the ability to pair with a wide range of foods, and age for years or even decades.
The white grape can produce wines in a range of styles, from dry, off-dry and slightly sweeter, right through to late-picked and botrytis-affected dessert wines. Within that scale, the tasting characteristics might be zippy, with notes of lemon and lime, rich flavours of peach, apricot and pineapple, or contain more complex flavours of toast, nuts and honey. It's also not uncommon to taste spice, slate and blossom.
Below, you'll find six expressions of riesling, each grown in different regions across the country. From Victoria's Grampians region and Tasmania's Coal River Valley, to South Australia's Clare and Eden Valleys, these wines are perfect for pairing with fresh seafood and enjoying in great company.
2024 Clarnette Riesling, Grampians
XXXWinemaker Leigh Clarnette says: I love riesling as it's the only grape that says who it is while ripening, and it does this in many ways. A) The colour turns golden-spotted, heightening flavour. B) The acid is always there. C) Its aromatics of lime zest and apple blossom never fade. D) It actually has structure – phenolics that lend it to be fermented and aged in large, older oak.
H. Tell us about the ageing potential for this riesling.
LC. Once aged in oak, the wine stabilises its freshness and palate structure and holds it for life (simply because of micro-oxygenation via the oak). It then requires zero fining, just a filtration.
Best enjoyed: Riesling must be enjoyed chilled on a hot day in an elegant, tall stemmed glass. It pairs beautifully with kingfish ceviche or my deep-fried scallops with the coral/roe (orange part) still attached.
RRP $33 | Drink to 2030 | clarnettewines.com.au | Shop this wine
2024 Claymore Superstition Reserve Watervale Riesling, Clare Valley
Pale straw with the slightest green hues. An alluring bouquet, with fresh lemon and lime blossom mingling with hints of honeysuckle and a clean schist minerality. On the palate, experience pure, vibrant citrus notes, and a silky dance of lemon sherbet and honeysuckle in the mouth that tantalises the taste buds. Slatey undertones provide a textural canvas, setting the stage for racy acidity. The herbaceous finish is fresh and green.Winemaker Adam Clay says: Riesling for Claymore is all about purity. Lovely aromatics which jump out of the glass and the classic Clare characters of citrus/lemon pith and a fine, crisp acid profile that lengthens the palate and gives that salivating finish. Ultimately, what we love is to give the consumer great sensory joy.
H. Tell us about the ageing potential for this riesling.
AC. 2024 was an excellent vintage for the Clare Valley. This wine is sourced from our best parcel of grapes from our Shankley vineyard in the heart of Watervale. Enjoy over the next decade.
Best enjoyed: Riesling is the perfect drink for summer; crisp, cold and refreshing. The delicacy of riesling works well with all styles of fish and crustaceans, matched with a leafy green salad and kipfler potatoes.
RRP $35 | Drink to 2040 | claymorewines.com.au | Shop this wine
2024 HATCH Flaxman Valley Riesling, Eden Valley
A fragrant and pure riesling. Pale with a flash of green and aromas of Bickford's lime cordial, freshly squeezed lime and grapefruit with hints of Christmas lily, lime sorbet, crushed quartz, lemongrass, grapefruit zest and frangipani. Lightly textured, but it's really all about that tubular core of lime and the mineral propulsion system. Tension, precision and velocity writ large. – Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion, 95 points.Winemaker Chris 'Hatch' Hatcher says: Riesling is one of the most challenging but rewarding wines to make. Every step, from vineyard selection and management, picking decision, handling techniques, fermentation and bottling is critical, and any small mistake will severely impact the quality of the final wine. My philosophy for making HATCH Flaxman Valley Riesling is to make a pure wine that expresses the individual character of the region and vineyard – wine that is bright, vibrant and fresh.
H. Tell us about the ageing potential for this riesling.
CH. Riesling is an outstanding white wine as it can be enjoyed when young, fresh, vibrant, fruit-driven and pure, but as it ages it builds depth and complexity while still retaining fruit character. HATCH Flaxman Valley Riesling is excellent now but will age for 15+ years.
Best enjoyed: Serve cold and at any time you want to start the party. This wine is extremely versatile and can be enjoyed as an aperitif or paired with fresh oysters, prawns, seared scallops, salt and pepper squid or delicate Asian dishes.
RRP $35 | Drink to 2040 | hatchwines.com.au | Shop this wine
2024 Holm Oak Riesling, Tasmania
Pale straw with a flash of green and fruit aromas of lemon, lime, grapefruit and green apple. Hints of apple turnover, crushed stone, citrus blossom, jasmine and sea spray. Focused and pure with a wonderful sense of tension and light grapefruit pith texture sailing long on the exit with a distinct, minerally cadence. – Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion, 94 points.Winemaker Bec Duffy says: I love the purity of riesling, and the fact that it is both precise and complex at the same time. Riesling is a viticulturist's wine and, as long as they have done their job, all I need to do as a winemaker is capture the freshness, aromatics and elegance, and really let the fruit shine. Sometimes the simplest of things can be the most difficult to achieve, so it’s always a rewarding challenge making riesling.
H. Tell us about the ageing potential for this riesling.
BD. This riesling has great potential for ageing, and our vineyard has a strong track record of producing riesling that ages well. We have museum stock of riesling going back over 20 years and it never ceases to amaze me how fresh and vibrant these wines still look.
Best enjoyed: I prefer to drink riesling at around 6–8°C, which allows for the aromatics to shine and for the palate to be slightly weightier. I like to use the RIEDEL Riesling glass and serve with some Tasmanian striped trumpeter that has been pan-fried with some butter and lemon. Simple, fresh, tasty and a great match for our riesling.
RRP $32 | Drink to 2039 | holmoakvineyards.com.au | Shop this wine
2020 Otherness Skuld Riesling, Eden Valley
Eden Valley riesling made by Ian Hongell for Grant Dickson at Otherness. Light straw with aromas of lime juice, Bickford's cordial and green apple. Hints of citrus blossom, jasmine, crushed stone, drying hay and lemongrass. Sleek and vivid, it's like a lime laser with its tubular palate shape, finishing stony-pure with a suggestion of umami. – Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion, 94 points.Winemaker Ian Hongell says: I love riesling's aromatic restraint, its ability to express vintage and place, and the way it captures the moment the grapes were picked. Although I get excited by the driving acidity of rieslings in their youth, I marvel at the transformation that comes after about five years of bottle age, the harmony they exhibit after the sharp corners are rubbed off and the first encroachment of tertiary complexity deepens and softens the flavour profile.
H. Tell us about the ageing potential for this riesling.
IH. The 2020 Skuld thrills me in its current stage of development. Fresh Meyer lemon and grapefruit still dominate the palate, the white florals have receded, but the curd, lanolin, and other toasty tertiary flavours are yet to fully assert themselves. The wine is so delicious right now, but will easily hold and evolve glacially for the next decade and more.
Best enjoyed: Young rieslings are best enjoyed chilled in a varietal-specific riesling glass but, as they age, soften and fill out, I prefer them at 12–15°C in a wider glass. It’s a cliché, but rieslings of any age pair so well with fresh oysters. In the Otherness restaurant we love serving our rieslings with Gazander oysters from Little Douglas Bay in the Coffin Bay precinct.
RRP $50 | Drink to 2035 | otherness.com.au | Shop this wine
2024 Pressing Matters Texture Riesling, Coal River Valley
Pale gold colour, lemon/lime and tropical fruits on the nose. Mineral texture with lemon sherbet acidity creates a well-rounded mouthfeel.Winemakers Samantha Connew and Luke Andree say: We love how the two exceptional elements of this wine come together. The rich soil enhances the wine’s freshness and minerality, while the wild ferment in oak adds richness, depth and a smooth texture. The result is a well-balanced riesling with both vibrancy and complexity, showcasing the best of both the terroir and winemaking techniques.
H. Tell us about the ageing potential for this riesling.
SC & LA. Like most high-quality rieslings, our Texture Riesling can age well due to its natural acidity and balance of fruit and sweetness. It will be great from five to 15 years if stored properly.
Best enjoyed: We serve our Texture Riesling in The Gabriel Wine Glass; it is ideal because its shape enhances the wine's aromatic qualities. The design allows the wine to breathe, highlighting its fruit-forward notes and balancing its sweetness with its acidity. The bright citrus flavours, rounded acidity and subtle sweetness complement the delicate flavours of our world-class Tasmanian seafood. The acidity cuts through rich seafood, while the wine's fruit-forward notes enhance freshness, creating a harmonious balance with both light and rich seafood dishes.
RRP $65 | Drink to 2040 | pressingmatters.com.au | Shop this wine
Top image credit: HATCH
