Chris BerryFounder, Wine Underdogs — chasing the world’s overlooked grapesIf you love Riesling, you love one of two things about it: the perfume or the acid. Moschofilero gives you both. Dry Furmint and Grüner Veltliner give you the acid. Torrontés gives you the perfume. The usual answers are Gewürztraminer and Chenin Blanc, and you've probably tried them already. These four are where to go next.
The short answer
- Moschofilero (Greece): rose and orange peel, light, usually dry. The closest thing to a German Kabinett outside Germany.
- Dry Furmint (Hungary): quince, lemon, smoke and stone. The dry-Riesling swap that ages.
- Grüner Veltliner (Austria): lime, green apple and white pepper. Dry Riesling's freshness, better at dinner.
- Torrontés (Argentina): jasmine and peach on the nose, dry on the palate. Pick the producer, not the price.
Which half of Riesling do you miss?
Riesling runs from bone-dry Austrian and Alsace bottlings to featherlight German Kabinett to full dessert wine, and it holds its acid at every stop. So "like Riesling" is really two requests. If you want the perfume, the rose and orange blossom that make the wine smell sweeter than it drinks, you want an aromatic grape. If you want the spine, the citrus and the mineral finish that ages for a decade, you want a taut, dry white.
| Grape | Gives you | Ages? |
|---|---|---|
| Moschofilero | Perfume and acid | Drink young |
| Dry Furmint | Acid | Yes, for years |
| Grüner Veltliner | Acid | Drink young |
| Torrontés | Perfume | Drink young |
Moschofilero: the floral half, turned up
Mantínia, Greece · light body, low alcohol · moss-koh-FEE-leh-roh
A pink-skinned grape from the high plateau of the Peloponnese that makes a pale, intensely scented white: rose petal, orange peel and a Muscat-like floral top note, then acid that snaps.
Versus Riesling: the same weightless, perfumed, high-acid feel as a Kabinett, but it usually finishes dry, so the sweetness stays a suggestion. If you love the smell of young Riesling more than its sugar, start here.
The catch: it's the hardest of the four to find. Expect a specialist shop or an online order.
Look for: Troupis, Tselepos or Boutari.
Dry Furmint: the dry-Riesling swap that ages
Tokaj, Hungary · bone dry · FOOR-mint
Furmint is the grape behind sweet Tokaji. Made bone dry, it's one of the great mineral whites of Europe and still a bargain: quince, green apple and lemon over a smoky, stony finish, with acid that holds for years in the bottle.
Versus Riesling: your dry-Riesling substitute. Same cut, same orchard fruit and mineral core, same ability to age into something waxy and complex. If dry Alsace or Austrian Riesling is your lane, Furmint belongs in it.
The catch: no petrol note. If that's the part of aged Riesling you love, you won't find it here.
Look for: Royal Tokaji, Oremus (the Mandolás bottling) or Disznókő.
Grüner Veltliner: Riesling's savory neighbor
Austria · usually dry · GROO-ner velt-LEE-ner
Austria's signature white often grows in the same vineyards as its best Riesling. It gives you green apple, lime and a note growers describe as white pepper or radish, with high acid, and it's easy to drink young.
Versus Riesling: reach for it when you want dry Riesling's freshness and a plate of food is involved. The entry-level bottles, often sold in liters, are some of the best value in white wine right now.
The catch: the peppery, savory edge replaces Riesling's flowers. If you drink Riesling for the perfume, go to Moschofilero instead.
Look for: Domäne Wachau, Bründlmayer, or Berger's liter bottles.
Torrontés: perfume without the sweetness
Cafayate, Salta, Argentina · dry · toh-ron-TESS
Argentina's aromatic white, at its best from high-altitude vineyards. The nose is loud with jasmine, rose, peach and orange blossom, and then the palate arrives dry and lighter in acid than the others here.
Versus Riesling: it matches the perfume of an off-dry Riesling more than its structure. It won't age the way Furmint does, but on a warm evening it delivers the aromatic drama for less than almost anything.
The catch: it's the one that disappoints most often. Cheap bottles turn soapy or bitter, so the producer matters more than the price.
Look for: Colomé, Susana Balbo or El Esteco, and skip the bargain bin.
Finding the other three
The Moschofilero at the top is the one bottle I've confirmed in stock online this month. For the rest, US availability is uneven. Grüner Veltliner and dry Furmint are the easiest to find in a good shop; quality Torrontés usually takes a specialist or an online order. Take the producer names above to your local shop and ask for them by name.
One thing I owe you plainly: I haven't scored these bottles side by side yet. When I have, the scores go here, and this guide gets shorter.
For more swaps against the famous names, see Order This Instead, or the full Lesser-Known Wines guide.
New to wine? Start here
Wine Match
Five guilty pleasures, yes or no. Ben finds the wine you’d actually like. You don’t need to know anything about wine. Ben certainly doesn’t.
Wine Underdogs is for readers of legal drinking age.
BenFive things. Yes or no. I'll do the rest.
Every wine fact here comes from the grape guides on Wine Underdogs. Ben has never opened a bottle, and neither does this game. For readers 21 and over.
Frequently asked questions
What white wines are most like Riesling?
Aromatic, high-acid whites. Beyond the familiar Gewürztraminer and Chenin Blanc: Moschofilero from Greece, Furmint from Hungary, Grüner Veltliner from Austria, and Torrontés from Argentina. Each shares part of Riesling's profile, the floral nose, the bright acid, or both.
What is the best dry alternative to Riesling?
Dry Furmint or Grüner Veltliner. Both give you Riesling's citrus and cutting acidity with no residual sugar, so nobody mistakes your glass for dessert.
Which underdog white smells most like an off-dry Riesling?
Moschofilero and Torrontés. Both open with rose and orange blossom, the same perfume that makes a young Riesling smell sweeter than it tastes.
How do you pronounce these grapes?
Moschofilero is moss-koh-FEE-leh-roh, Furmint is FOOR-mint, Grüner Veltliner is GROO-ner velt-LEE-ner, and Torrontés is toh-ron-TESS.
JOIN THE PACK
Whatever you drink now, there's an underdog you'd like more.
One overlooked wine at a time: what it tastes like, the famous one it can replace, and the catch. Free.