I have been starting to try some German reislings, but am confused re: the Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese thing - what are the differences, and what kind of food pairings should I plan?
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I'm new to wine, but this is what I heard to be the range(from driest to sweetest):
Trocken (bone dry)
Halb-trocken ("half" dry -- still dry)
QBA (?)
Kabinett (harvested on time)
Spatlese (late picked)
Auslese ("out picked", picked very late)
Beerenauslese (even riper)
Trocken Beerenauslese (look like raisins!)
Eis Wein("Ice Wine")Frozen Grapes (Extremely sweet)
A person who knows a lot about wine can correct my mistakes; but I think its generally on track.
Someone else will have to answer the food pairing question. I'd like to know the answer to that too.
Trocken (bone dry)
Halb-trocken ("half" dry -- still dry)
QBA (?)
Kabinett (harvested on time)
Spatlese (late picked)
Auslese ("out picked", picked very late)
Beerenauslese (even riper)
Trocken Beerenauslese (look like raisins!)
Eis Wein("Ice Wine")Frozen Grapes (Extremely sweet)
A person who knows a lot about wine can correct my mistakes; but I think its generally on track.
Someone else will have to answer the food pairing question. I'd like to know the answer to that too.
bw has most of it right.
QBA is like Bordeaux Superieur, Burgundy Villages, Cotes du Rhone or Mondavi Coastal. They are non-Classified wines, but can be very good. Think Blue Nun.
I agree with bw on these but maybe an easier way of describing them would be(and in the order of increasing cost)
Kabinett- slightly sweet(off-dry)
Spatlese-sweeter, but can go with certain foods
Auslese-Getting towards dessert sweet
BAs & TBAs are Dessert wines similar to Sauternes(Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon) or New World Late Harvest 1/2 bottles with the botrytis smell & taste.
Eiswein(not necessarily sweeter than BAs & TBAs) usually doesn't have the botrytis . Very clean sweet wine.
QBA is like Bordeaux Superieur, Burgundy Villages, Cotes du Rhone or Mondavi Coastal. They are non-Classified wines, but can be very good. Think Blue Nun.
I agree with bw on these but maybe an easier way of describing them would be(and in the order of increasing cost)
Kabinett- slightly sweet(off-dry)
Spatlese-sweeter, but can go with certain foods
Auslese-Getting towards dessert sweet
BAs & TBAs are Dessert wines similar to Sauternes(Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon) or New World Late Harvest 1/2 bottles with the botrytis smell & taste.
Eiswein(not necessarily sweeter than BAs & TBAs) usually doesn't have the botrytis . Very clean sweet wine.
quote:Originally posted by bw:
I'm new to wine, but this is what I heard to be the range(from driest to sweetest):
Trocken (bone dry)
Halb-trocken ("half" dry -- still dry)
QBA (?)
Kabinett (harvested on time)
Spatlese (late picked)
Auslese ("out picked", picked very late)
Beerenauslese (even riper)
Trocken Beerenauslese (look like raisins!)
Eis Wein("Ice Wine")Frozen Grapes (Extremely sweet)
"Trocken" (dry) and "Halb-Trocken" is only a generel label for the percentage of sugar in the wine.
QbA means that the wine ist from selected regions in Germany (like Ahr, Franken, Rheinhessen etc.) QmP means that the wine has a special "predicate". These predicates are : Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein.
When it comes to pairing Riesling with food, you're in luck; the varietal's crisp acidity (even when the wine has some sweetness) makes it a natural.
With Kabinett- and even Spatlese-level wines, you can go for many light- to medium-bodied dishes based on fish, chicken, veal and pork. Spatleses will even stand up to the sweetness in chutneys and fruit sauces or sides that would kill completely dry wines. And think of savory tarts that have some sweetness from dried fruit or golden raisins.
When it comes to BA, TBA and Eiswein, they ARE dessert. If you're looking for food to go with them, apricot tart is usually fab since these wines can have apricot-y flavors.
With Kabinett- and even Spatlese-level wines, you can go for many light- to medium-bodied dishes based on fish, chicken, veal and pork. Spatleses will even stand up to the sweetness in chutneys and fruit sauces or sides that would kill completely dry wines. And think of savory tarts that have some sweetness from dried fruit or golden raisins.
When it comes to BA, TBA and Eiswein, they ARE dessert. If you're looking for food to go with them, apricot tart is usually fab since these wines can have apricot-y flavors.
quote:Originally posted by The Schoolmarm:
When it comes to BA, TBA and Eiswein, they ARE dessert. If you're looking for food to go with them, apricot tart is usually fab since these wines can have apricot-y flavors.
Poached pears, berries with nut flavored ice cream, and tarte tatin are some of my favorites.
Most written is correct, but you should seperate the style from the classification.
There are three styles: Trocken, Halb-trocken and Edelsuss
Trocken is bone-dry and high in alcohol, as written before. Halb-Trocken is medium-dry and medium-high in alcohol. And Edelsuss (not written on the bottle) are the traditional German wines lower in alcohol, these can be slightly-sweet to very sweet depending on the classification.
Classification is in two levels (or three if you count in Table wine):
QbA (Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete) and
QmP (Qualitätswein mit Prädikat) (this is the highest level).
QmP wines are subdivided in the qualitylevels: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese, which represent the ripeness (sugar levels) of the grapes. Auslese, BA and TBA should have a certain amount of noble rot. Besides these qualitylevel there is the Eiswein made from frosen grapes, the sweetness (sugarlevel) is mostly inbetween the BA and TBA...
So you will see the terms Trocken or Halb Trocken in combination with the classifications: QbA, QmP Kabinett, QmP Spätlese and (rarely) QmP Auslese
Without Trocken or Halb Trocken on the bottle the wine is Edelsuss and slightly sweet in Kabinett (normally alcohol 9-10%) to TBA (normally alcohol around 6%).
But be carefull, a few years ago the Germans started new classification rules for Erstes Gewächs (First Growth) and Grosses Gewächs, which are always dry wines made from selected vineyards...
Santé,
Joe
There are three styles: Trocken, Halb-trocken and Edelsuss
Trocken is bone-dry and high in alcohol, as written before. Halb-Trocken is medium-dry and medium-high in alcohol. And Edelsuss (not written on the bottle) are the traditional German wines lower in alcohol, these can be slightly-sweet to very sweet depending on the classification.
Classification is in two levels (or three if you count in Table wine):
QbA (Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete) and
QmP (Qualitätswein mit Prädikat) (this is the highest level).
QmP wines are subdivided in the qualitylevels: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese, which represent the ripeness (sugar levels) of the grapes. Auslese, BA and TBA should have a certain amount of noble rot. Besides these qualitylevel there is the Eiswein made from frosen grapes, the sweetness (sugarlevel) is mostly inbetween the BA and TBA...
So you will see the terms Trocken or Halb Trocken in combination with the classifications: QbA, QmP Kabinett, QmP Spätlese and (rarely) QmP Auslese
Without Trocken or Halb Trocken on the bottle the wine is Edelsuss and slightly sweet in Kabinett (normally alcohol 9-10%) to TBA (normally alcohol around 6%).
But be carefull, a few years ago the Germans started new classification rules for Erstes Gewächs (First Growth) and Grosses Gewächs, which are always dry wines made from selected vineyards...
Santé,
Joe
You have all been very helpful, I will now be an obsessive label reader. As for food pairings, has anyone tried the Auslese with cheese? Any suggestions?
auslese with cheese? haven't tried it, but my gut would be to go with a blue or rocquefort. explanation: salty and sweet are a classic combo.
looking forward to your report...
looking forward to your report...
This is the first time that a couple of us on this board have heard of a wine that is a TBA and Eiswein, I bought this bottle earlier this year, https://forums.winespectator.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6826053161/m/143109363
Has anyone seen this before?
Has anyone seen this before?
Blue cheese was my first thought - I'm glad to have your seal of approval - also I thought salty nuts.
Did some field research over the weekend (ie. I went to the really good cheese store where you can usually find me on Saturday mornings). The cheeseman suggested a French muenster, which is the classic pairing for Riesling, or another washed-rind cow's milk cheese.
And I just talked with Bruce Sanderson. He echoed the blue theme suggesting a lighter, less-salty Bleu d'Auvergne. And he also liked the soft and ripe, but not too stinky direction of a youngish muenster or perhaps a camembert or brie. (We'll be doing some tests ourselves.)
Looking forward to your report on which cheese you prefer with the wine...
/g
And I just talked with Bruce Sanderson. He echoed the blue theme suggesting a lighter, less-salty Bleu d'Auvergne. And he also liked the soft and ripe, but not too stinky direction of a youngish muenster or perhaps a camembert or brie. (We'll be doing some tests ourselves.)
Looking forward to your report on which cheese you prefer with the wine...
/g
quote:Originally posted by The Schoolmarm:
French muenster, which is the classic pairing for Riesling
Actually, Gewurztraminer is the classic pairing
Yeah, I think the cheeseman was going for the Alsatian theme. But if I were in Alsace, I'd be happy to see how the fresh muenster goes with my Pinot Gris and Sylvaner too.
/Gloria
/Gloria