In Germany and Austria, but also in other Central European countries, the term used in the national language for a special Prädikat wine (for exact definitions, see under the countries). Some legends about the "invention" of the Spätlese are described under Spätlesereiter and Trockenbeerenauslese. Today, such wines are less associated with the fact of a late harvest (which would also be relatively difficult to control), but the only legal wine criterion is a minimum must weight (sugar level in Oechsle or KMW), which requires fully ripe and therefore sweet grapes. The date of the grape harvest therefore has no legal significance (any more), although it does of course have an influence on it (the later, the riper). A late harvest is often medium sweet to sweet, but can also be vinified dry.
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Technischer Lehrer, staatl. geprüfter Sommelier, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg