In short: a dry Alsace Riesling is the most elegant alternative to Fendant with raclette. It’s straight, lively and aromatic, and its acidity slices through melted cheese like a freshly sharpened knife. Check for the word “sec” (dry) on the back label, then pick a recent vintage: 2024 (fresh and zesty), 2023 or 2022 (very successful for dry wines), or 2019 and 2020 if you like deeper Rieslings.

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Why Alsace Riesling goes with raclette

If Fendant is the family cousin, Riesling is the guest who shows up with a great bottle and leaves with a reputation as “the one who really knows wine.” The Alsace Wine Board (CIVA) describes Riesling as a “vertical” dry wine: lively acidity that runs from start to finish, with a broader mid-palate. Exactly what you need against a rich, salty, hot cheese.

Aroma-wise, the CIVA mentions lemon, lemongrass, grapefruit, peach, white flowers and linden blossom, sometimes with hints of flint or petrol on certain soils, especially in the Grand Crus and named vineyard sites. Those mineral, citrusy notes wake up the raclette between two potatoes, and they love cured meats, cornichons and pickled onions. The CIVA actually recommends Riesling with goat and sheep cheeses, poultry and creamy dishes: raclette isn’t far off.

Which raclette? It’s superb with a classic raw-milk raclette, very good with a peppercorn raclette (the acidity tames the heat), and it stands up to a smoked raclette better than most light whites. Just one trap: sugar. An off-dry or sweet Riesling, up against the salt of the cheese, comes across as heavy and cloying. For raclette, it’s dry or nothing.

Which Alsace Riesling to choose

Read the sweetness indication

Good news: since the 2021 vintage, a standardized sweetness indication must appear on the back label of AOC Alsace wines, either as a scale or as a written term (sec, demi-sec, moelleux, doux, i.e. dry, off-dry, medium-sweet, sweet). According to Pleinchamp, “sec” means less than 4 grams of sugar per liter. For raclette, look for “sec” or the cursor all the way to the left of the scale. The terms Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles mean dessert wines: not what we’re after here.

AOC Alsace: the everyday Riesling

AOC Alsace, recognized in 1962, accounts for more than 70% of Alsace production according to the CIVA. Since 2011, it can be followed by the name of a village or a named vineyard site. For a raclette with friends, a dry AOC Alsace Riesling from a good producer or a good co-op is the most sensible choice: fresh, clean and ready to drink as soon as it’s released.

The Grand Crus: for evenings that matter

Alsace has 51 Grand Crus, mapped out according to strict geological and climatic criteria, which make up nearly 5% of production according to the CIVA. Their Rieslings are deeper and more mineral. The CIVA calls these wines “built for aging” and notes that Alsace Riesling can improve in bottle for decades. With raclette, save them for tables where people take the time to talk about the wine.

The best Alsace Riesling vintages

Unlike Fendant, dry Riesling handles a few years in bottle very well. For raclette, recent vintages are still the easiest: more freshness, fewer aged notes. The assessments come from the CIVA (vintage sheets), the Wine Scholar Guild and iDealwine’s vintage scores. We give no opinion on 2025: we did not find a reliable assessment of Riesling for this vintage.

VintageQuality / profileWhen to drink
2024Fresher, drier and zestier wines than in recent years; the Rieslings should age well (Wine Scholar Guild). The dream profile for raclette.Now or cellar
2023Poor fruit set (coulure) reduced the Riesling crop, but the wines are clean and precise; the best dry Grand Crus will age well (Wine Scholar Guild). Dry whites rated 16/20 by iDealwine.Now or cellar
2022A dry year with few sweet wines, but “an excellent year” for dry wines, especially on the best sites (Wine Scholar Guild). Dry whites 16/20 at iDealwine.Now or cellar
2021Frost, downy mildew and powdery mildew slashed yields, but according to iDealwine “only Riesling truly shone,” with good aging potential. Taut, textured dry wines (Wine Scholar Guild).Now or cellar
2020“A truly great vintage” according to iDealwine, with “deep and taut” Rieslings carried by lovely acidity (dry whites 17/20).Now or cellar
2019“An exceptional year” and “a truly great vintage for Riesling” according to the CIVA: breed and aromatic complexity.Now or cellar
2018A generous harvest, acidity lower than average; the CIVA describes fruity, fresh Rieslings, and iDealwine sees Riesling leading the way in the Grand Crus (dry whites 17/20).Now
2017April frost and small yields, but great quality according to the CIVA; Rieslings with good acidity and fruit. Fragrant, complex, concentrated wines (Wine Scholar Guild).Now
2016A normal harvest, classic Rieslings, fresh and well balanced (Wine Scholar Guild).Now
2015“A great year” for the CIVA, small volumes; “clean, fresh, lemony” Rieslings. The Wine Scholar Guild calls it the greatest Alsace vintage since 1990 and 1971.Now (especially Grand Crus)
2014“A good year”: Riesling is one of the big winners of the vintage, with finesse and freshness (CIVA).Now, without waiting

Our advice for the sommelier in a hurry: for a raclette, a dry Riesling from 2022, 2023 or 2024 checks every box. Keep the 2019 and 2020 Grand Crus for a “black-tie” raclette, and don’t go hunting for old vintages: the petrol and honey notes of a mature Riesling are fascinating, but they tend to pick a fight with melted cheese.

How to serve Riesling

  • Temperature: 8 to 10 °C (about 46 to 50 °F) for a dry Riesling, according to the serving advice of wine retailer Vinatis. Keep the bottle cold during the meal.
  • Glass: a stemmed glass with a narrower rim, which concentrates the aromas. Avoid glasses that are too wide.
  • Decanter: decanting is recommended for a young Riesling, as it helps it open up; it’s not recommended for old vintages, which are more fragile when exposed to air.
  • How much: plan on half a bottle per wine-drinking adult for a two-to-three-hour evening. Riesling is a little more aromatic than Fendant: serve it second if you’re offering both.
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To aerate a young Riesling just before the meal, a simple decanter will do:

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The other raclette wines

Back to the complete guide to wines for raclette. To stick with crisp whites, also discover Fendant du Valais, the ultimate classic, and the fuller Chignin-Bergeron. If you want to stay in Alsace but fancy some bubbles, see our page on Crémant.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Alsace Riesling always dry?

Usually, yes, but there are off-dry, medium-sweet and sweet Rieslings too. Since the 2021 vintage, the back label of AOC Alsace wines shows the sweetness level: for raclette, choose “sec” (dry).

Which Riesling vintage for a raclette?

A recent, fresh vintage: 2024, 2023 and 2022 are described as very successful for dry wines. For a special occasion, a Grand Cru from 2019 or 2020.

Should you decant Riesling?

A young Riesling benefits from aeration in a decanter. An old vintage, on the other hand, should be poured straight from the bottle.

Riesling or Fendant with raclette?

Both work. Fendant is lighter and more traditional with Valais raclette; Riesling is more aromatic and tauter, and stands up better to a smoked or peppercorn raclette.

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