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French & Logan Wine Merchants
Information about German Wine Classification, Cellaring & Tasting
Cellaring:
All of these wines are made by the winemaker to keep & age from 15 to 100 years. They are best stored at 8 to 12 centigrade. Temperature stability is the most important feature of correct storage. Ideally humidity should be 50 to 70%. All light should be excluded.
Opening & storage thereafter:
When you first open them, these wines may not be at their best. Often all that is required is to try a small glass, put the cork back in the bottle & stick in the fridge till the next day. Not all wines require this & many are great straight away but all will benefit from being opened & having the cork replaced at least overnight.
Once opened even the lowliest of these wines will keep for a week or two. The Kabinetts will be safe to stay open for a month, the Spatleses & Ausleses for two to three months. Anything sweeter than Auslese will probably last indefintely in the fridge. I personally have had a 1994 Trockenbeerenauslese open in the fridge for over 5 months with no reduction in the wines qualities. This leads to the intriguing possibility of having a Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, etc open in your fridge all at the same time! Allowing you to dip into whichever one takes your fancy or suits the meal you're having.
Classification:
Kabinett
The lightest and usually driest of the quality German wines. May be labeled Trocken (very dry) or Halbtrocken (dry) but are never considered sweet. Should last 15 years.
Spätlese
Means late picked, and the grapes are harvested about a week later than the less ripe grapes. They have more body and are richer than Kabinett wines due to a higher sugar content, but are sometimes made in a Trocken style. Should last 25 years.
Auslese
Made from individually hand selected bunches of ripe grapes. These wines tend to be on the sweet side, yet still exhibit some crisp acidity on the finish. The grapes are often "botrytized," a naturally occurring yeast on the grape skin which drys the grape out, concentrating the flavour. These are among Germany's finest and most characteristic wines, and should be enjoyed on their own. Should last 50 years.
Beerenauslese
A rare and very ripe Prädikat wine made from individually selected overripe grapes usually affected by botrytis. It is not made in many vintages because conditions need to be ideal for the grapes to ripen to this extent, so these wines are very hard to find and very expensive. They are packaged in 375ml bottles, and are incredibly rich with creamy honey and raisin flavours. An unforgettable experience to drink. Will last longer than you.
Trockenbeerenauslese
Also known as TBA for short, virtually all the water has been extracted from the grapes by
botrytis. Trockenbeerenauslese is not produced every year because a dry autumn is required
for the botrytis to dry out the grapes. If it rains after the botrytis has set in, the grapes
just dissolve. Yields are very low. One vinyard may only produce 90 litres (240 half bottles)
of TBA per year, if that! Usually a beautifull golden orange, this is the pinnacle of German
dessert wine. Immortal. Even an open bottle in the fridge would shrug off 6 months without a murmer.
Eiswein
A special Prädikat in the QmP category, made from grapes literally frozen on the vine. The grapes are harvested usually in the early morning while they are still frozen, and pressed immediately so that the ice remains in the press and only the sweet juice is fermented. Since the grapes are not botrytized, the juice is very high in sugar and acid, which makes a sweet yet refreshing wine. They are rare and expensive, but worth seeking out. Should last 40 years
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