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[OWS-lay-zuh] The German word for "selection," used in the wine trade to describe specially selected, perfectly ripened bunches of grapes that are hand-picked, then pressed separately from other grapes. The superior wine made from these grapes is sweet and expensive. See also beerenauslese; spätlese; trockenbeerenauslese.
[OWS-lay-zuh] German for "selection," used in the wine trade to describe specially selected, perfectly ripened bunches of grapes that are hand-picked and then pressed separately from other grapes. Auslese is one of the six subcategories of QmP (qualitätswein mit prädikat) and ranks above kabinett and spätlese but below beerenauslese, eiswein and trockenbeerenauslese. To attain the Auslese category, the natural sugar content of the grapes must reach a certain minimum (83 to 105° oechsle approximately 20 to 25 percent sugar by weight), depending on the region and the variety. The grapes are often subject to botrytis cinerea (called Edelfäule in German), which can give them that extra push toward the high sugar levels. The superior wine made from these grapes is sweet and expensive and is generally categorized as a dessert wine. Austria has an Auslese category that's similar and requires a minimum 105° oechsle.
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.
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.
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 Spätburgunder (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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 | Food Lover's Companion. Food Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2001 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wine Lover's Companion. Wine Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2003 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Auslese". Read more |
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