Riesling - a delicate balancing act

The decisive question is however how much acidity a Riesling must have in order to maintain its character, while not placing it in the acid category. And how high must the acidity be above all in the case of botrytized and residual-sugar Rieslings, in order to balance the sweetness with a contrasting partner, a balance which ultimately constitutes the finesse-rich, Riesling-typical interplay.

There is no silver-bullet solution linked conclusively to analysis data. The taste balance of the individual parameters must be right. Whether, in the end, a Riesling reveals too high a level of acidity is basically not a  question of anaytics.

In such a case, one's own tastebuds are the exclusive decision-maker, since appraisal of the acid is a matter of sensory balance: residual-sugar wines require by way of compensation a more vigorous acidity, so that the sweetness is not too ponderous, but retains its subtle, elegant playfulness.

Rieslings in the dry range, where the residual sweetness is limited, evince as a rule accordingly low acidity values. If the acidity here is too high, it becomes the sole defining sensory factor, and the wine will simply taste sour.