How to pronounce Riesling

What is Riesling?

A white grape variety producing aromatic wines ranging from dry to sweet with high acidity and flavors of stone fruit and petrol.

Riesling is a white grape variety believed to come from the Rhine valley in western Germany. The earliest known record of the name dates from March 13, 1435, in an inventory from Rüsselsheim, close to the Rheingau. DNA research points to Gouais Blanc as one of its parents.

Germany is its home base. According to Wines of Germany, about 45 percent of the world's Riesling grows in German vineyards, with the largest plantings in the Pfalz, Rheinhessen and the Mosel. It is also a signature grape of Alsace in France, and it is grown in Austria, Australia's Clare and Eden valleys, New Zealand, Washington State and New York's Finger Lakes.

The grape ripens slowly and keeps high acidity. Young wines are aromatic, with apple, peach, citrus and floral notes, and are seldom aged in new oak. With bottle age, many develop honeyed notes and a distinctive aroma that tasters call petrol.

Riesling is made in every style from bone dry to very sweet, so the grape name alone does not tell you the sweetness. On German labels, trocken means dry and halbtrocken means off-dry. Terms such as Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese describe how ripe the grapes were at harvest.

Riesling, syllable by syllable

Why Riesling is hard to say

German has two vowel pairs that look alike to English readers and sound nothing alike. The pair ie is a long ee. The pair ei sounds like the English word eye. A handy rule is to say the English name of the second letter: ie ends in e, so ee, and ei ends in i, so eye. Riesling has ie, which gives REES-ling.

The same rule works across German wine labels. Eiswein (ICE-vine) and Rheingau (RHINE-gow) have ei and take the eye sound, and so does the word Wein itself. Stress is simple too: native German words usually stress the first syllable, so the weight falls on REES. The s is a crisp s in German. English dictionaries also record a z sound, REEZ-ling, as an established form.

Other accepted pronunciations

These are also correct, and Vinolingo scores them as correct:

• REEZ-ling — Established English form.

Tips for saying it

How to order Riesling

Say REES-ling with the stress up front. REEZ-ling, with a z, is the established English form and is just as acceptable. RICE-ling is often heard and will be understood, but the native form has the ee sound. Because styles vary so much, it helps to say whether you want a dry or a sweeter wine when you order.

• “Do you have a dry Riesling by the glass?” Naming the sweetness avoids surprises.
• “I would like to try an off-dry Riesling from the Mosel.” Mosel is said MOH-zel.
• “Is this Riesling trocken or does it have some sweetness?” Trocken, said TROK-en, means dry.

Names often confused with Riesling

• Gewürztraminer (geh-VURTS-trah-mee-ner): Another aromatic white grape found in Germany and Alsace; here the German w is said as v.
• Eiswein (ICE-vine): A sweet wine often made from Riesling; its ei is the eye sound, the mirror image of the ie in Riesling.
• Spätlese (SHPAYT-lay-zuh): A ripeness level printed on many Riesling labels, meaning late harvest; it is a label term and not a grape.
• Mosel (MOH-zel): A German region closely tied to Riesling; people often see the two names together on one label.

Questions about pronouncing Riesling

How do you pronounce Riesling?

Riesling is pronounced REES-ling, with two syllables and the stress on the first. The ie is a long ee, as in geese, and the ending is a short ling. In English you will also hear REEZ-ling, with a z, which dictionaries list as a standard form.

Is it REES-ling or RICE-ling?

The German form is REES-ling. In German spelling, ie is a long ee and only ei sounds like eye. RICE-ling is often heard from English speakers who read ie as eye, and people will understand it, but REES-ling matches how the name is said in Germany.

Is the s in Riesling said like s or z?

Both are accepted. German uses a crisp s, giving REES-ling. English dictionaries record both an s and a z, so REEZ-ling is an established English form. Either version works at a restaurant, in a shop or at a tasting.

Is Riesling sweet or dry?

It can be either. Riesling is made in styles from fully dry to very sweet, and all of them keep high acidity. On a German label, trocken means dry and halbtrocken means off-dry. If the label gives no clue, ask the server or shop staff.

Sources: Wikipedia: Riesling, Wines of Germany: Riesling, Wiktionary: Riesling, Wikipedia: German wine classification. Last reviewed 2026-10-10.