Riesling should be served chilled but not ice cold.

Most inexpensive Rieslings and New World examples are ready to drink when released. Typical French examples can age for a few years and high-quality German spatlese, auslese, or dessert wines can age incredibly well, easily a decade or more.

Buying (and drinking) an older bottle will typically reward you with a mellower, softer texture, creamed honeyed notes, and intriguing petrol aromatics. A younger wine will be higher in acidity and offer bright lively citrus flavours and a simple grapey fruitiness.

Store bottles in a cool, dark place. While it is now common for wine makers to use plastic corks or screw-top closures which may be stored vertically or horizontally, those with the traditional corks should be laid on their sides to keep them moist.