Glassware

A glass for Nahe Riesling needs one thing above all: a narrow opening. The delicate fruit notes of peach and apricot fade quickly, and a bowl that's too wide simply lets them escape before they ever reach the nose. A slender glass that tapers upward, by contrast, concentrates the aroma and directs it straight to the tip of the nose.

The acidity in Rieslings from the rain shadow of the Hunsrück and Soonwald often runs high. That makes the shape of the glass worth a second look. A rim that's too narrow sends the wine straight to the tip of the tongue, where acidity bites hardest. A touch more width in the upper third spreads the first sip more broadly across the tongue and softens the effect without losing the aroma.

Serving temperature varies notably between Prädikat levels. A dry Kabinett from the Nahe tastes freshest at 8 to 10°C (46-50°F). A Spätlese or Auslese can go a little warmer, at 10 to 12°C (50-54°F), since otherwise the sweetness overwhelms the acidity. Served too cold, any Riesling tastes of little but acid, no matter how fine the site it came from.

For the truly rare sweet wines, like the one that came out of the Kupfergrube in 1921, a different rule applies. A small, slender glass is all you need, filled with barely fifty milliliters, because a Trockenbeerenauslese above 300 degrees Oechsle is so concentrated that a large sip would overwhelm the palate. It's sipped slowly, almost like a liqueur, with time taken between each mouthful.