Auslese - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 1 of 2 Auslese Your continued donations keep Wikipedia running! From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Auslese (literal meaning: "selected harvest"; plural form is Auslesen ) is a German language wine term for a late harvest wine and is a riper category than Spätlese in the Prädikatswein category of the Austrian and German wine classification.[1] The grapes are picked from selected very ripe bunches in the autumn (late November-early December), and have to be hand picked. Generally Auslese wine can be made in only the best harvest years that have been sufficiently warm. A small proportion of the grapes may be affected by noble rot in some regions although this never dominates the character of the wine. Rheingau winemaker Schloss Johannisberg is generally credited with discovering Auslese wine in 1787. [2] Auslesen are sometimes considered a German dessert wine, especially the wines made from botrytis infected bunches, though it is not as sweet as Eiswein, Beerenauslese (BA), or Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) dessert wines. Auslesen can be enjoyed by themselves ( aperitif - an “afternoon wine“) but are usually best Two bottles of German accompanied with food, particularly those that exhibit the hearty characteristics of German Riesling Auslese from the cuisine. same Rheingau producer, one with a Gold capsule The term in Alsace most closely corresponding to Auslese in terms of must weight requirements (Goldkapsel ) to denote extra ripeness. is Vendange tardive , even though this French term is linguistically equivalent to the German term Spätlese . Contents 1 Requirements 2 Dry Auslese 3 Red Wine Auslese 4 References Requirements The minimum must weight requirements for Auslese is as follows: [3] In German wine, 83 to 100 degrees Oechsle, depending on the region (wine growing zone) and grape variety. [4] [5] In Austrian wine, 21 degrees KMW , corresponding to 105 °Oechsle. Chaptalisation may not be used. The requirements are part of the wine law in both countries. Many producers, especially top- level producers, exceed the minimum requirements by a wide margin, resulting in richer and sweeter Auslesen that may even exceed the minimum requirements for Beerenauslese, the next Prädikat in order. In Germany, it is common to add stars (usually * to ***) on the wine label, Fuder (vat) numbers or a golden capsule, to indicate this. Dry Auslese The wines are occasionally made dry (trocken) in some areas, such as Palatinate (Pfalz) but are more typically sweeter, as the very high alcohol levels (around 13-14%) in dry examples can make them unbalanced particularly when young. The typical must weight for an Auslese is 90° Oechsle. These wines, particularly when made from the riesling grape can age for very long periods of time, often ten years or more. With the recent introduction of the new classifications of top dry German wines, Erstes Gewächs and Grosses Gewächs, the Verband Deutscher Prädikats- und Qualitätsweingüter (VDP) has discouraged the continued use of Auslese trocken, as it has been seen as confusing for the consumer to have sweet and powerful dry wines with the same Prädikat. [6] Red Wine Auslese http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auslese 9/14/2008 German wine classification - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 1 of 7 German wineYour continuedclassification donations keep Wikipedia running! From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia German wine classification consists of several quality categories and is often the source of some confusion, especially among non-German speaking wine consumers. The official classification is set down in the wine law of 1971, although some changes and amendments have been made since then. The classification is based on several factors, including region of origin, whether sugar has been added, and the ripeness of the grapes. The system is quite different from the French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée system, or the systems in most other countries. In addition, German wine labels can be confusing for non-German speakers, although they give much information to those who are able to read them. In recent years, the official classification has been criticised by many of the top producers, and additional classifications have been set down by wine growers' organisations such as VDP, without enjoying legal protection. The two main reasons for criticism is that the official classification does not differentiate between better and lesser vineyards, and that the quality levels are less appropriate to high-quality dry wines. [1] Bottles from two of Germany's top producers showing the various pieces of information that can be found on a German wine label. Contents The bottle on the left displays information in the following order: Producer (Dr. Loosen) - vintage - village (Bernkastel) and vineyard (Lay) - variety 1 Overview of categories (Riesling) and Prädikat (Eiswein) - mandatory 2 Quality categories information in small print - alcoholic strength, 2.1 Prädikat designations region (Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) and volume. 2.2 Additional designations The bottle on the right uses a slightly different 2.2.1 Sweetness of the wine order: Region (Rheingau) and variety (Riesling) - 2.2.2 Color vintage - village (Kiedrich) and vineyard (Gräfenberg) - Prädikat (Auslese) - producer 2.2.3 Extra ripeness or higher quality (Weingut Robert Weil) - volume and alcoholic 2.3 Special and regional wine types strength. 2.4 New classes for dry wines 2.5 Historical classificiations no longer in use 3 Geographic classification 3.1 Geographic classification for Tafelwein and Landwein 3.2 Geographic classification for QbA and Prädikatswein 4 Labels 5 Notes Overview of categories Two of the basic parameters in the classification of German wines is sweetness and quality. Wine quality is to some extent is a subjective judgement, and within the framework of any formal wine classification, different producers achieve very different results. However, the different quality categories used in classification of German wines are to some extent related to varying wine-making practices that generally are associated with different levels of quality: The EU category "quality wines" is by definition supposed to be superior to the category "table wines". A category that allows chaptalization is generally inferior to a category that does not allow chaptalization, if wines that are "true to terroir" are to be produced. A category that may only be produced in certain vineyard sites is generally superior to a category which may be produced anywhere. A category that requires the grapes or the wine to fulfill quality criteria (e.g. ripeness of the grapes) that are so stringent that they can not be met by most vineyard sites in most vintages, can also be considered superior to categories which can be produced from almost any vineyard in almost any vintage. Applying these distinctions to the categories in German wine classification gives the following overview. The table is primarily drawn up with wines produced from riesling grapes in mind. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_wine_classification 9/14/2008 German wine classification - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 2 of 7 Indicative Sweetness Typical quality level sugar level Medium to grams per liter Low Medium High high Chaptalization allowed Chaptalization not allowed Only from classified vineyards From any or Table wine Quality wine vineyard Usually not possible to (EU) (EU) in any vintage produce in any vineyard in any vintage >150, Trockenbeerenauslese Intensely sweet sometimes >200 (Eiswein) Eiswein Beerenauslese Auslese Sweet 100-150 (Especially if Goldkapsel or *** has been added) Auslese QbA Spätlese (Especially from Mosel) Semi-sweet 30-60 Tafelwein Liebfraumilch Kabinett Erste Lage Spätlese Erste Lage Kabinett Spätlese feinherb Off-dry QbA feinherb Kabinett Can taste Auslese feinherb Tafelwein QbA feinherb "internationally dry" 10-20 Auslese halbtrocken Landwein halbtrocken Spätlese if the acid level is Charta Classic halbtrocken sufficient Kabinett halbtrocken Grosses Gewächs Spätlese Erstes Gewächs QbA trocken trocken Dry 0-9 Landwein Erste Lage QbA Classic Kabinett Selection trocken Auslese trocken Quality categories The 1971 German wine law defines four overall quality categories: [2] Deutscher Tafelwein , or 'German table wine' This is the equivalent to vin de table . It must be produced exclusively from allowed German-grown grape varieties in one of the five Tafelwine regions. Region or subregion must be indicated on the label. The grapes must reach a must weight of 44°Oe on the Oechsle scale (5% potential alcohol) in most regions, with the exception of Baden where 50°Oe (6% potential alcohol) must be reached. The alcohol content of the wine must be at least 8.5% by volume, and concentration or chaptalization can be used to reach this level. They must reach a total acidity of at least 4.5 grams/liter. Tafelwein (without "Deutscher" ) can be a so-called Euroblend, a table wine made from grapes grown in several European countries. Deutscher Landwein , or 'German country wine' This is the equivalent to vin de pays , and was introduced with the 1982 harvest. Regulations are similar to those for Deutscher Tafelwein, but must come from one of the 19 Landwein regions, the grapes must reach 0.5% higher potential alcohol, and the wine must be dry (trocken) or off-dry (halbtrocken) in style, i.e. may not be semi-sweet. "Landwein" can also refer to German fruit wines. Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA), or quality wine from a specific region. These wines must be produced exclusively from allowed varieties in one of the 13 wine-growing regions ( Anbaugebiete ), and the region must be shown on the label. The grapes must reach a must weight of 51°Oe to 72°Oe depending on region and grape variety. The alcohol content of the wine must be at least 7% by volume, and chaptalization is allowed. QbA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_wine_classification 9/14/2008 German wine classification - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 3 of 7 range from dry to semi-sweet, and the style is often indicated on the label.