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Endpoint: Prädikatswein - Spätlese



created on: 11/02/2020
by: bob (9138)
 
 

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General info :
Spätlese - means "late harvest" and is one of the 6 "Prädikaten" of the German Prädikatswein classification.

Prädikatswein (also know as Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP) (quality wine with specific attributes) until August 2007) is the top level of German wines.
These prominently display a Prädikat (ripeness level designation) on the label and may not be chaptalized. Prädikatswein range from dry to intensely sweet, but unless it is specifically indicated that the wine is dry or off-dry, these wines always contain a noticeable amount of residual sugar. Prädikatswein must be produced from allowed varieties in one of the 39 subregions (Bereich) of one of the 13 wine-growing regions, although it is the region rather than the subregion which is mandatory information on the label. (Some of the smaller regions, such as Rheingau, consist of only one subregion.)

The different Prädikat (superior quality wine) designations used are as follows, in order of increasing sugar levels in the must:

1. Kabinett - literally "cabinet"
fully ripened light wines from the main harvest, typically semi-sweet with crisp acidity, but can be dry if designated so.

2. Spätlese - meaning "late harvest"
typically half-dry, often (but not always) sweeter and fruitier than Kabinett. The grapes are picked at least 7 days after normal harvest, so they are riper. While waiting to pick the grapes carries a risk of the crop being ruined by rain, in warm years and from good sites much of the harvest can reach Spätlese level. Spätlese can be a relatively full-bodied dry wine if designated so. While Spätlese means late harvest the wine is not as sweet as a dessert wine, as the "late harvest" term is often used in US wines.

3. Auslese - meaning "select harvest"
made from very ripe, hand selected bunches, typically semi-sweet or sweet, sometimes with some noble rot character. Sometimes Auslese is also made into a powerful dry wine, but the designation Auslese trocken has been discouraged after the introduction of Grosses Gewächs. Auslese is the Prädikat which covers the widest range of wine styles, and can be a dessert wine.

4. Beerenauslese - meaning "select berry harvest"
made from overripe grapes individually selected from bunches and often affected by noble rot, making rich sweet dessert wine.

5. Trockenbeerenauslese - meaning "select dry berry harvest" or "dry berry selection"
made from selected overripe shrivelled grapes often affected by noble rot making extremely rich sweet wines. "Trocken" in this phrase refers to the grapes being dried on the vine rather than the resulting wine being a dry style.

6. Eiswein (ice wine)
made from grapes that have been naturally frozen on the vine, making a very concentrated wine. Must reach at least the same level of sugar content in the must as a Beerenauslese. The most classic Eiswein style is to use only grapes that are not affected by noble rot. Until the 1980s, the Eiswein designation was used in conjunction with another Prädikat (which indicated the ripeness level of the grapes before they had frozen), but is now considered a Prädikat of its own.
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Item number : 29760

Submitted by : bob (9138)
on : 11/02/2020