Riesling Wines: Spatlese Sweeter The Later Time Around
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- July 20, 2011
In the world of wines, the more time you let the grapes stay on the vines, the better the flavors will develop. In which case, Spatlese becomes sweeter the later time around.
Spatlese is a German term which means late harvest, literally applying to Riesling grapes, which are harvested a few days after the initial harvest season have started. According to the history books, Spatlese origin took place in a winery, in Schloss Johannisberg, in 1775, where in this style was first discovered and took place. Maybe it was fate that brought late-harvest grapes to fame. It was at this time that the grapes have reached the stage of being nobly rotten, and nothing great was really expected from something that has started to rot. But Spatlese came into the picture and proved them wrong. They discovered that grapes which are harvested late in the season can be used and turned into rich and delicious wines. Since then, the region has been seeking for wines of this quality and continuously rediscovering the flavors that they can get from the Spatlese style.
Spatlese became more famous in 1778, when Thomas Jefferson had a taste of this kind of wine and asked his friends to bring him more wines of this quality from that wine-growing region. The official designation of the term Spatlese became evident in the German law of 1971, recognized as one of the more quality wines under the semi-sweet category, without undergoing the process of chaptalization. A decade after, it seems that people have come to realize what dry wines have to offer as production of dry wines have grown in Germany during this time and the decade after. Aside from Germany, Spatlese wines are also popular and widely grown in Austria, but Germany still owns the crown as the King producer of this quality.
It may develop sweet features, but it’s not all the time that Spatlese wines are that sweet. Well, for one, it is not a dessert kind of wine, more on a little less sweet to be paired with desserts. Late-harvest style enables the grapes to produce fully ripe rich flavors and heavier weight. It has more intense flavors and has high levels of acidity that it can restrain the overly sweet that might developed in the process, giving it a good balance in flavors and refreshing to the palate. Wine makers have the choice as to how sweet their Spatlese wines can be, with regards to the standards of its Riesling classifications on the German law, that it should not undergo any chaptalization process. It goes well with foods that are rich in spices as it brings a refreshing counterattack. Spatlese wines are also good when paired with pork, poultry dishes, and even seafoods like crabs.
Spatlese wines are starting to build an international name by creating a brand for itself, and for dry wines, as well. People have, slowly but surely, come to have affection for dry wines, which is good to keep the Riesling variety pumped up. It cannot be denied that the little grapes can produce a blasting wine such as Spatlese.
