The Story
The Raimund Prüm Mosel Dry Riesling is a $6.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Mosel district of Germany. There are a few interesting and unique details with less than 7 buck Riesling. First, you remember that ALDI is a German company and has great buying power in Europe and especially Germany.
Second, Mosel is to Riesling what Pinot Noir is to Burgundy what Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is to Bordeaux what Barolo is Nebbiolo. It is the epicenter for that particular grape. If you want the best Riesling the first place you look is Mosel. This Riesling is designated a Qualitatswein wine which is the base quality level there are two categories above this. Which is expected in a wine at this price range.
The third point is Raimund Prüm is responsible for this ALDI wine. The current SA Prüm winery has been family owned and operated for over 100 years, but the Prüm family has been involved with wine in Mosel for 900 years. Raimund Prüm is one of the elite winemakers in Mosel, he has produced Riesling that has sold for 100s of dollars.
It is not unusual for established well-regarded wineries to produce custom wines for the likes of ALDI and Trader Joe’s, but they normally use a dummy wine company name and come up with a brand name that does not suggest the original winery. Here, Raimund Prüm is putting his name on a $6.99 Mosel Riesling.
The Mosel wine region is located on the steep banks of the Mosel River. The slopes are so steep for much of the best growing area that it is difficult and dangerous for humans to work the grapevines. The soil is strewn with chards of slate and the slate is so essential to the mineral component of the Riesling that any slate that rolls down the hill is collected and put back in its place.
This wine seems to be sourced from vineyards from all over Mosel which keeps the price down. Like most wine areas certain sections can command a higher price and wine produced from a selection of districts are less expensive. But with a wine priced this low, it is not necessarily the location of the vineyards that matter, it is who made the wine. Good winemakers make good wine, great winemakers make even better wine. The alcohol content is a mild 11.5% and this is dry or not sweet Riesling.
Riesling Tasting Notes
The color is a pale wheat yellow. The nose is green apple, lemon, lime, melon, mineral water, and apricot, the scents are all light and subtle. This is a light, delicate, dry Riesling with a slightly complicated flavor profile. It tastes of peach, ripe, juicy apple, lemon, a soft minerality, lime, and melon. The mid-palate adds raisin spice, dried apricot, juicy nectarine, a salty sensation, and guava. I named a fair amount of flavors, but they were all restrained, one didn’t overpower the other. The acidity gave the structure that allowed the flavors to unfold. Again the finish is subtle but lingers on and on.
The Summary
- This is a pretty good Riesling for $6.99 at a supermarket.
- I was expecting it to be pretty good considering its provenance. Mr. Prüm wouldn’t have put his name or the family name on this bottle if the results were not satisfactory.
- I quite honestly am more used to writing about Washington State Riesling for Cheapwinefinder. The Washington Rieslings are priced right and are easy to drink and to like. But this 7 buck Aldis Mosel Riesling is an extremely satisfying drink. The more I sip, the more I like it.
