What is the most popular white wine in Europe?

Countries such as Spain, France and Italy mainly produce red or rose wines. To white there is not quite respectful attitude. It is often used in cooking for cooking various sauces, as well as as an ingredient in desserts. But it would be wrong to assume that white varieties, by definition, are inferior in red. There are stamps of straw or greenish color, which are very much appreciated in the same France. For example, Alsatian Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay are respected by the sommelier. It's hard to say which grade of white wine is better. In addition to the selection of vines, the taste of the drink is influenced by the soil and climate of the locality in which the berries grew, the technology of harvesting (early or, conversely, late harvesting), cooking technology and aging. White wines are light, fragrant, sparse, but composite. They are used both as an aperitif, and as digestiv, and during a meal (with fish, seafood, vegetables). Vines are cultivated for the production of table wines. Still from their fruits do liquors and champagne. The most famous and popular in Europe variety of white wine - Riesling. It is very elegant, besides its vines are viable, and the juice of berries has a great aging potential.

But this technical grapes has one problem - its taste is highly dependent on terroir, that is, climatic and soil conditions. Thus, vines of the same culture, grown on the banks of the Rhine and on the hills of Moldova, yield absolutely different crops. Since Riesling is rightly considered the "king of white wines", he is most often subjected to falsification. Some unscrupulous producers with the help of dyes and flavors can give out some sort of white table wine for noble Riesling. This is not surprising, because "bring to mind" light berries are much more difficult than red ones.

The most developed is the production of Riesling in Germany - along the valleys of the Moselle and the Rhine. There this sort of white wine occupies 20 thousand hectares of land. A cool summer is completely compensated for by the stony soils of the southern slopes and additional reflection of the sun rays from the water surface of the rivers. The berries collected late, with the first frosts, give an excellent wine to Shpatleze. In the XVIII century, a new technology of cooking Riesling was accidentally invented - from berries, touched by a special fungus - botrytis. This "noble rot" gives the drink some sweetness (but in no case is it sugary) and the richest aromatic bouquet.

A good result was the white wine Riesling, grown in the Italian regions of Alto Adige and Umbria. In a hotter climate vines give berries with an exquisite smell of citrus, honey and exotic fruits. Riesling from these regions serves as an excellent accompaniment to white meat dishes. With a glass of this drink, it's nice to finish the meal with dessert cheeses. In Alsace, Riesling slowly and gradually ripens. There from this variety do basically dry drinks. They are fresh, full-bodied, with shades of white flowers and fruits. Riesling has a nice feature - it "grows well" in the bottle. The wine is still "alive" 100 years after the blockage, and with the age of its quality become only more elegant.

This sort of white grapes is grown also in Austria - in Kamptal, Weinviertel, Vagram, Donau and Wachau. At the peak of popularity, the vine overcame the ocean and spread in the New World. After a long experimentation, winemakers achieved significant successes in the states of New York and Oregon (USA), in the valleys of Eden, Adelaide Hills and Claire (Australia) and Marlborough (in New Zealand). These drinks are more strict, and, I would say, "gothic".