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What does Spätlese mean?
In Germany,Spätlese is the second of six predicate levels within the quality system. The grapes for a Spätlese must have a minimum must weight of 76 to 90 degrees Oechsle, depending on the growing region. Apart from this, the wine must fulfil the criteria of the quality wine category. Spätlese wines can be vinified in all flavours from dry to residual sweet, whereby the grapes must not be infected by the noble fungus Botrytis cinerea.
In Austria, the fully ripe grapes must have a minimum must weight of 19 degrees KMW for wines with the predicate Spätlese. Here, Spätlese wines are always vinified with residual sweetness.