From June 20th through August, restaurants and stores across the country will participate in Summer of Riesling: All German, All Summer, a summer-long celebration that aims to familiarize wine-lovers with the beauty of the Riesling varietal. To get you ready to discover the range of German Riesling styles at the 10 participating restaurants in Charleston, we’ve created a primer that explains Riesling’s many styles, how to identify your favorites, and the best pairing practices!

Dry Riesling

• What’s it like? These are bone-dry wines that are simultaneously delicate and wonderfully acidic. Perfect for those who prefer leaner, mineral-driven styles.
• How to identify? Look for “dry,” or “trocken,” the German word for dry, on the label. You can also check the back to see what the residual sugar level is. If it’s less than 9 grams/ L, it’s dry!
• Food, please? Try one with grilled fish, summer salads and light pasta dishes.

Off-Dry Riesling

• What’s it like? These wines are characterized by their remarkable balance of stone fruit flavors and bright, lemony acidity.
• How to identify? Halbtrocken, Kabinett and Feinherb indicate that the wine is off-dry. If you don’t see one of these words, check out the back to see if the wine has 9-18 grams/ L!
• Food, please? Off-dry Rieslings’ unique combination of acidity and fruitiness allows them to balance out spicy foods and stand up to richer dishes like Asian cuisines, fattier fish and barbecue.

Late-Harvest Riesling

• What’s it like? Late-Harvest Rieslings are full-bodied wines that are characterized by their honeyed peach flavors and pronounced acidity.
• How to identify? Some are just barely sweeter than off-dry wines; others are ripe and concentrated dessert wines. Look for Spätlese or Auslese if you want something less intense, and Beerenauslese, Eiswein or Trockenbeerenauslese if you’re looking for a stunning dessert wine!
• Food, please? Late-Harvest Rieslings pair beautifully with aged cheeses and fruit-based desserts.

Now go put that knowledge to use at the following participating restaurants!

• Scarecrow & Co*
• McCrady’s Restaurant*
• Cannon Green*
• Stems and Skins*
• Husk*
• High Cotton*
• Poogan’s Smokehouse
• Circa 1886
• Ocean Room*
• Minero

* Indicates that this restaurant doing additional programming. Stay tuned!