Drathen Riesling

BUY/ PREORDER ONLINE

Producer: Josef Drathen

Vintage: 2024

Region: Mosel, Germany

Grape: Riesling

Style: Still white wine; medium sweet

Residual sugar: Approximately 40 g/L, confirmed by our distributor

Flavor profile: Green apple, citrus and peach, with lively acidity

Why This Wine?

Until very recently, I have been a big, bold Cabernet girl who preferred to drink most of the bottle on an empty stomach.

Classy, Kelly.

But one of my favorite things about owning Fisk is getting to revisit our wines on different days under very different circumstances. I mean, our palates really do change all the time, sometimes for long periods, sometimes depending on what we've eaten earlier in the day or what we eat with our wine.

I’m drinking more wine with food now, and it changes the experience considerably.

Duh - I know. But it’s still new to me and I'm having a lot of fun with it! It really has opened up my curiousity to wines I would have never really taken time with before.

Which brings me to Drathen Riesling. This is not a dry wine, so liking this one was a surprise.

Why are some Rieslings Sweet?

Riesling can be bone-dry, intensely sweet or somewhere in between. Its naturally high acidity is a defining characteristic, especially in Germany’s cooler wine regions.

So, in many traditional Riesling styles, sweetness is an important part of the balance. It softens the acidity, while the acidity keeps the sweetness from feeling heavy. That combination also makes sweeter Rieslings interesting with food. WSET’s guide explains the different German Riesling styles.

At approximately 40 grams of residual sugar per liter, the Drathen is medium-sweet—not dry, and just barely off—dry.

I can taste the sweetness. What surprised me was how much I liked it! But much more with food than without. More on that below...

About Drathen

Josef Drathen’s history began in 1860 in St. Aldegund, in Germany’s Mosel region. The business continued through several generations and produces both still wines and Sekt, German sparkling wine. This Riesling is a still wine. Read more about Drathen’s history.

With Our Brats and Horseradish Aioli

This is why I liked it even more with food.

The brat brings richness and salt, the aioli adds creaminess, and the horseradish delivers that sharp heat. The wine’s sweetness is a great contrast, while its acidity refreshes the palate between bites.

Sweeter Riesling also works well with chili—spiced food. Horseradish delivers a different kind of heat, but I like the contrast here, too.

If you usually drink only dry wine, try a bit of this on its own first, then WITH food before deciding. And if it still isn’t your thing, it could make a thoughtful gift for someone who enjoys sweeter whites or loves spicy food.

I still love Cabernet. But I’m apparently also someone who gets excited about Riesling with a brat.

I did not see that coming.