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 Austrian and German wine classification. 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.

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 accompanied with food, particularly those that exhibit the hearty characteristics of German cuisine.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.