Sommeliers are obsessed with Riesling. Ask anyone who pours wine professionally what they drink at home, and Riesling comes up more than anything else. There's a reason, and it's not snobbery — it's versatility.
But Riesling has a marketing problem. Decades of cheap, sweet German wine (Blue Nun, Liebfraumilch) created a perception that Riesling = sweet. It stuck. And it's wrong. Most Riesling made today is dry or off-dry, with such searing acidity that even the ones with residual sugar don't taste sugary. They taste alive.
The sweetness question, actually answered. German labels tell you the style if you know the code: Trocken = dry. Kabinett = light, usually off-dry (8-9% ABV, a glass at lunch kind of wine). Spätlese = riper, can be dry or off-dry. Auslese and above = dessert territory. Alsatian Riesling is almost always dry. Australian Riesling is always dry. If the label doesn't help, look at the alcohol — under 11% usually means some residual sugar. Over 12% means dry.
Germany (Mosel). Steep slate vineyards along the river, some of the most vertigo-inducing viticulture on earth. Dr. Loosen Blue Slate Riesling Kabinett ($16-20) is the gateway: lime, white peach, a whisper of sweetness balanced by acidity sharp enough to make your mouth water. For dry German Riesling, Dönnhoff Tonschiefer Trocken ($18-22) from the Nahe is exceptional — all lemon zest, crushed stone, and tension.
Alsace (France). The driest, most full-bodied Riesling. Trimbach Riesling ($16-20) is the benchmark — austere, precise, bone-dry. Trimbach Cuvée Frédéric Émile ($45-55) is one of the great white wines of France and nobody outside the wine world talks about it. Their loss.
Australia (Clare and Eden Valley). A completely different animal. Lime juice and kerosene (that TDN petrol character shows up early in warm climates). Pewsey Vale Eden Valley ($14-18) is the classic. These are built for aged Cheddar, Thai food, and confounding people who think Australian wine only means Shiraz.
The spicy food trick. Riesling — especially off-dry Kabinett — is the best wine on earth for spicy food. The residual sugar competes with capsaicin for the same receptors on your tongue, the low alcohol means no burn amplification, and the acidity keeps everything refreshed. Thai green curry, Indian vindaloo, Sichuan anything — Riesling handles it all.
At a restaurant, Riesling is the order that makes sommelier's eyes light up. Not because it's expensive, but because it means they're dealing with someone who cares about what they drink. And if the wine list has a German Riesling by the glass, try it. It's probably the most underpriced wine on the menu.