Riesling is a light-skinned, aromatic grape of German origin which is - if the majority of top wine critics are to be believed - the world's finest white-wine grape variety. Most popular inGermany and Alsace, the Riesling grape is grown on steep, sun-facing slopes of these cooler climates. It can be made in dry or sweet styles – Germany's qualification system for Rieslings is actually based on ripeness level and the grape is almost always bottled as a sole varietal in the country. In Alsace, Riesling can be blended, although typically not, and is most often made in a dry style. Riesling has an extremely high level of acidity. That acidity is matched by the intensity of the grape's floral and fruit aromas. A number of descriptors are associated with Riesling due to its tendency to adopt the characteristics of where it is grown.