Spätlese

Spätlese is a predicate for quality wines. It belongs to the wine - quality level of quality wines. In German-speaking countries, the predicate is now used (measured in degrees Oechsle ) for wines with a certain minimum must weight. The specified minimum must weight for a late harvest varies in Germany of growing area to growing area and sometimes even within a growing area of vine to vine. The category Spätlese is above and below the cabinet selection.

History

The term originated in 1775 in the Rheingau. The wineries where the read permission was then prescribed by the municipalities.

However, an exception was the Johannisberg castle estate, which belonged to the diocese of Fulda. The Johannisberger monks needed to obtain directly from the Prince-Bishop of Fulda permission to harvest. They therefore sent a mounted messenger to Fulda, but in that year, the return of the messenger delayed for unknown reasons. The grapes were meanwhile attacked by the gray mold (Botrytis cinerea). Although they kept the harvest for lost, the monks brought a grape and vinified it. When she tasted the new wine in the following spring, they were surprised by its excellent quality. The name was subsequently for high-end wines usual, and by the way you had the positive effects of noble rot, infestation discovered by the mold Botrytis cinerea.

The first volume of " Charlemagne Spätlesereiter " Karl- comic series deals with this event.

Production and quality standards

Since 1971, quality wines in Germany must comply with Spätlese following statutory manufacturing and quality standards: You must be logged in to write testing, the grapes are allowed only after the general reader, the at late harvest date to be fixed by the fall committee of the municipality, be read and the grapes have the must weight exceed a minimum value: in general, the 85 ° Oechsle, in the wine region of Baden depending on grape variety 86 ° to 95 ° Oechsle. An enrichment of musts by adding sugar is not permitted. According to German wine law, the enrichment is normally prohibited in all quality wines with special attributes, which include the late harvest belongs. Unlike in Germany, it is in France to the highest quality levels allowed the unfermented must add sugar.

Since it in a cool climate, for example, can happen on the Moselle, that the musts not completely thorough fermentation and stop, there is also traditionally rest sweet Spätlese. For many decades, the term late harvest was primarily for such natural residual sugar wines, which can be produced by interruption of the fermentation by cooling or filtering. It has fixed the idea in many wine drinkers, late harvests were always sweet wines. However, in recent years more and more Spätlesen be expanded mainly dry, so that a large part of the sugar is fermented. These are " dry" provided on the label usually with the addition. In the absence of this Note, it is assumed that the wine has a higher residual sugar.

In Austria belong to the predicate Spätlese wines. The grapes must be fully ripe and at least 94 ° Oechsle have (19 ° KMW), the must should not be enriched and must come from vine varieties which are shown in the quality list of varieties, resulting. Like all quality wines must have a check number, the late harvest.