Editing Riesling (section)

===France===
[[File:Riesling -raisins sur pied de vigne.jpg|thumb|Riesling grapes growing in Alsace]]
Riesling is on record as being planted in the Alsace region by 1477 when its quality was praised by the [[Duke of Lorraine]].<ref>Oz Clarke, ''The Encyclopedia of Grapes'' Websters International Publishers 2001, p. 193 {{ISBN|0-15-100714-4}}.</ref> Today over a fifth of Alsace's vineyards are covered with Riesling vines, mostly in the [[Haut-Rhin]] district, with the [[varietal]] {{Interlanguage link|Riesling d'Alsace|fr}} being very different from neighboring German Riesling.<ref name="Enjoying_Wine_74">Stuart Walton, ''Understanding, Choosing and Enjoying Wine'' Hermes House 2006, p. 74 {{ISBN|1-84081-177-3}}.</ref><ref>According to French regulations as of 2011, this variety may only be planted in [[Moselle (departement)|Moselle]], [[Bas-Rhin]] and [[Haut-Rhin]].</ref> This is partly from difference in the soil with the clay Alsatian soil being more dominately calcareous than the slate composition of Rheingau. The other differences come in wine making styles, with the Alsatian preferring more French-oriented methods that produce wines of higher alcohol content (normally around 12%) and more roundness due to longer time spent in neutral oak barrels or steel tanks. In contrast to German wine laws, Alsatian rieslings can be [[chaptalization|chaptalized]], a process in which the alcoholic content is increased through the addition of sugar to the must.<ref name="Encyclopedia_Grapes_198">Oz Clarke, ''The Encyclopedia of Grapes'' Websters International Publishers 2001, p. 198 {{ISBN|0-15-100714-4}}.</ref>

[[File:Alsatian Riesling .jpg|left|thumb|An Alsatian Riesling]]
In contrast to other Alsatian wines, Rieslings d'Alsace are usually not meant to be drunk young, but many are still best in the first years. Rieslings d'Alsace tend to be mostly very dry with a cleansing acidity. They are thick-bodied wines that coat the palate. These wines age exceptionally well with a quality vintage aging up to 20 years. This is beneficial since the flavours in an Alsace wine will often open up after three years, developing softer and fruitier flavours.<ref name="Enjoying_Wine_74"/> Riesling is very suitable for the late harvest ''Vendange Tardive'' and the botrytized ''Sélection de Grains Nobles'', with good acidity keeping up the sweetness of the wine.

In addition to [[Muscat (grape and wine)|Muscat]], [[Gewürztraminer]] and [[Pinot gris]], Riesling is one of the acceptable varieties whose planting is allowed in ''[[Alsace grand cru]]'' sites.<ref>Stuart Walton, ''Understanding, Choosing and Enjoying Wine'' Hermes House 2006, p. 121 {{ISBN|1-84081-177-3}}.</ref>