Wikipedia Article About Johannisberg Riesling on Wikipedia Riesling is a white grape variety and varietal appellation of wines grown historically in Alsace (France), Austria, Germany (see German wine), and northern Italy. It is a very old grape, first documented in 1435, in which year the storage inventory of the Counts of Katzenelnbogen (a small principality on the Rhine) lists the purchase of six barrels of Riesling from a Rüsselsheim vintner. Rieslings are sometimes considered a good “introductory wine” for novice wine enthusiasts though wine lovers of all experience can certainly enjoy the elegant complexity of this grape.