Best White Wine on Earth: The Riesling Story

by Stuart Pigott

In this vibrant, one-of-a-kind guide to one of the most sought-after white wines today, wine authority, author, and Riesling enthusiast Stuart Pigott shares his personal stories of the world of top winemakers, sommeliers, and restaurateurs who are as devoted to Riesling as he is. Pigott travels to the great Riesling-producing areas of the world—from the North American regions of the Finger Lakes, Upper Midwest, Canada, Oregon, and California to Switzerland, Northern Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and South America— and provides wine history and tasting notes. The book also includes a simple and novice-friendly description of how Riesling is made. Illustrated throughout with Pigott’s own photography and featuring an innovative design, Best White Wine on Earth is the must-have guide for the white-wine enthusiast.

Genres: Wine, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published June 17, 2014

Reviews

[krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a cultural and natural history of Riesling with an overview of different regions where you can find it, and maybe a handful of recommendations for prominent producers. It ended up being light on the former and heavy on the latter.

I absolutely agree with the author's selections (Nikolaihof Steiner Hund tastes like liquid sunshine), but the concept of the book is more "a list of my favorite Rieslings" than an in-depth breakdown of the varietal.

Nit picks: There are more than a few typesetting mistakes and at points it feels like someone ran a random find/change so it reads "my favorite grape" instead of "Riesling".

Still, I'm happy that Riesling is getting some well-deserved love and the book is arming readers with a killer list of bottles to look for. This book is a labor of love and it shows.

[Meghan Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book and a great resource if you’re traveling to one of these specific wine regions. It is a long, long, long read with LOTS of information. We overall enjoyed the book but def got tired by the end. Will be turning to this as a resource whenever we travel to one of the regions he goes to!

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pigott is definitely the international cheerleader for Riesling. (Though he does get somewhat overzealous at times). Otherwise, it's all here: history, processes, in-depth profiles of some of the best wineries producing great Riesling, his personal list of favorite Rieslings by category. Now off to the wine store!

[Jacob Vorstrup Goldman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Riesling, but even though the overview of good producers is prodiguous, the book didn’t really inspire me to go further. Probably way better as a book to open when going on a winovacation than as a cover-2-cover readthrough.

[Penny Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

when my kids want to annoy i drink wine, i drink 10,000 gallons from the barrel sometimes people say "AHHH SHES CRYING BLOOD" but i just drink more and more, i urinated on a cat

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about my favourite white grape? Count me in. Nicely written, very informative and a joy to read!