Auslese
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Auslese (literal meaning: "selected harvest" Plural Auslesen) is a German wine term for a late harvest wine and is a riper category than Spätlese in the QmP category of the German wine classification. The grapes are picked from selected very ripe bunches in the autumn (late November-early December), usually 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. In 2000, German wine producers introduced two new wine classifications “Classic” & “Selection” in an attempt to make German wine labels easier for consumers to understand. Under this new system “Selection” is meant to replace the Auslese classification.
Auslesen are sometimes considered a German desert wine, especially the wines made from botrytis infected bunches, though it is not as sweet as Eiswein, Beerenauslese (BA), or Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) desert wines.
Auslesen can be enjoyed by themselves (aperitif - an “afternoon wine“) but are usually best accompanied with food, particularly those that exhibit the hearty characteristics of German cuisine.
Characteristics
The wines are occasionally made dry (trocken) in some areas, such as 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.
2003 German Riesling Vintage
2003 is considered a very good year for Auslese wine with even several QbA hitting Auslese level ripeness. (The one main exception would be wine from the Pfalz region which overall produced wines with low acidities and was mostly inconsistent from producer to producer) The weather in Germany played a big part in this producing more sunlight during a single growing season than any other since 1540. This allowed the flavor, sugar and even acidity to be concentrated on the vine by the intense heat. The abundance in grape clusters allowed high quality wine to be made in greater quantities than usual.
Use in Red Wine
As German Wine makers try to carve out a niche in developing red wine, the Auslese ripeness classification has come into play as the ideal level to produce Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir), particularly in the Rheingau, Pfalz, and Baden regions. Winemakers are experimenting with grapes at Auslese level ripeness with Burgundian style production methods involving oak aging and a higher extraction of tannin levels.
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