[BAY-ruhn-OWS-lay-zuh] Any of several fine, sweet German wines made from superior, slightly overripe grapes that have been individually picked or cut from their bunches. Some Beerenausleses are made from grapes that have been infected with botrytis cinerea (noble rot). Because of their special selection and picking, these wines are very choice and expensive. See also auslese; spätlese; trockenbeerenauslese.
Beerenauslese
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[BAY-ruhn-OWS-lay-zuh; BEH-ruhn-OWS-lay-zuh] The German term for "selected berries," which is used in the wine trade to describe specially selected, overripe grapes that are hand-picked and then pressed separately from other grapes. Beerenauslese is one of the six subcategories of QmP (qualitätswein mit prädikat) and ranks above kabinett, spätlese and auslese but below trockenbeerenauslese. To attain the Beerenauslese category, the natural sugar content of the grapes must reach a certain minimum (110 to 128° oechsle approximately 26 to 30 percent sugar by weight), depending on the region and the variety. The grapes are usually infected with botrytis cinerea (called Edelfäule in German), which shrivels them, thereby concentrating the sugar. The superior wine made from these grapes is very sweet but has enough acidity for proper balance. Beerenauslese wines are quite rare, extremely expensive, and considered one of the world's top dessert wines. These wines will age for many years, during which they develop even more complexity. austria has a Beerenauslese category that's similar and requires a minimum 107° oechsle.
| Wikipedia: Beerenauslese |
Beerenauslese (literal meaning: "selected harvest of berries") is a German language wine term for a dessert wine-style late harvest wine. Beerenauslese is a category in the Prädikatswein category of the Austrian and German wine classifications, and is a category above Auslese.[1] Beerenauslese wines, often called "BA" for short, are usually made from grapes affected by noble rot, i.e. "botrytized" grapes.
The grapes for Beerenauslese wines are those that have been individually picked. These wines are typically very sweet and rich, and most age very well. The finest Beerenauslese wines are generally considered to be made from the Riesling grape variety, as this retains significant acidity even with the extreme ripeness, which results in a wine where the sweetness is balanced and which has great longevity and which often will improve for decades.[2] These wines are produced in very small quantities when the weather is suitable for the noble rot to form and only in vineyards with appropriate conditions, so they tend to be very expensive.
An exception to this is Beerenauslesen produced from more eaily ripening grapes such as Ortega or Huxelrebe which have extremely high sugar content, but less noble rot character and less acidity, and therefore tends to come across as less elegant and usually without the potential to improve with cellaring.
In Alsace, the term most closely corresponding to Beerenauslese is Sélection de Grains Nobles.
Requirements
The minimum must weight requirements for Beerenauslese is as follows:
- For German wine, 110 to 128 degrees Oechsle, depending on the region (wine growing zone) and grape variety.[3]
- In Austrian wine, 25 degrees KMW[4], corresponding to 125 °Oechsle.[5]
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 , resulting in richer and sweeter wines that can exceed the minimum requirements for Trockenbeerenauslese, the next Prädikat in order. In Germany, it is common to add a golden capsule to indicate a superior wine.
References
- ^ German Wine Institute: Quality categories, accessed on May 4, 2008
- ^ Jancis Robinson, ed (2006). "Beerenauslese". Oxford Companion to Wine (Third Edition ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 75. ISBN 0-19-860990-6.
- ^ German Wine Institute: Must weights, accessed on May 4, 2008
- ^ Wines from Austria: Quality Designations in Detail, accessed on May 4, 2008
- ^ Wein-Plus Weinglossar: Mostgewicht, accessed on May 4, 2008
See also
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Mentioned in
- BA (wine-related term)
- Austria wine classification
- Auslese (culinary)
- Spätlese (culinary)
- Trockenbeerenauslese (culinary)
- Ausbruch (wine-related term)
- Prädikatswein (wine-related term)
- Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP) (wine-related term)
- sweetness (wine-related term)
- Germany wine classification
- Riesling (culinary)
- Eiswein (wine-related term)
- Rheingau (wine-related term)
- Austria (wine-related term)
