Auslese is a Prädikat level in German winemaking for highly ripe, sometimes nobly sweet wines. Learn everything about must weight, flavour, and the best examples.
Auslese (literally "selection") is the third level in Germany's Prädikatswein system — the country's quality hierarchy for wines made from must meeting minimum natural sugar levels without the addition of sugar (Chaptalization). It designates wines produced from fully ripe, hand-selected grapes with a high natural sugar content. The name derives from the process of selective hand-harvesting: only perfectly ripe grapes are "selected out" (ausgelesen) for use.
An Auslese must meet the following minimum requirements:
These must weights are significantly higher than those required for a Spätlese (76–90 °Oe) and correspond to a potential alcohol content of around 11–13% vol. if all the sugar were fermented out.
Auslese wines can be made in both sweet and dry styles:
The majority of Auslese wines are nobly sweet, as the high natural sweetness and aromatic richness are best expressed in this style.
In a Riesling Auslese:
In nobly sweet Auslesen (with Botrytis):
| Attribute | Spätlese | Auslese | Beerenauslese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Must weight (Riesling) | 76–83 °Oe | 83–88 °Oe | 110–128 °Oe |
| Sweetness | Off-dry to medium-sweet | Medium-sweet to nobly sweet | Nobly sweet |
| Botrytis | Rare | Often present | Usually present |
| Harvest timing | Late harvest | Very late harvest | Individual berry selection |
| Price | €10–25 | €20–50 | €50–150+ |
Auslese sits between the more approachable Spätlese and the highly concentrated, very sweet Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese. It offers the ideal balance of sweetness, acidity, and drinkability.
Auslesen are typically harvested in Germany from late October to early November — considerably later than standard quality wines, but earlier than Beerenauslesen or Eiswein.
The finest Auslesen come from regions with:
Famous vineyard sites for Auslese:
Auslesen are excellent candidates for long ageing. Thanks to their high acidity and natural sugar content, they can comfortably mature for 20–50+ years. During cellaring they develop:
Auslesen from top vineyard sites and outstanding vintages (e.g. 1959, 1971, 2001, 2015) can age for decades, gaining elegance and complexity along the way.
Auslesen are versatile companions at the table, particularly well suited to:
Auslesen are more affordable than Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese, but more expensive than Spätlesen:
Good value for money is found in Auslesen from Rheinhessen, Pfalz, and Nahe. The most celebrated (and expensive) come from the Mosel and Rheingau.
Auslese is one of the oldest Prädikat levels and dates back to the 19th century. The term was first officially defined in the German Wine Law of 1971.
Today, Auslese represents German wine culture at its finest — it demonstrates the ability of German winemakers to produce wines of extraordinary complexity and longevity from fully ripe grapes. Riesling Auslesen from the Mosel in particular are regarded internationally as a benchmark for nobly sweet white wines.
Auslese is the third level in the German Prädikatswein system and refers to wines from fully ripe, hand-picked grapes with a high natural sugar content. The name derives from selective hand harvesting – only perfectly ripe grapes are "selected out" (ausgelesen).
Auslese comes from riper, hand-selected grapes with a higher must weight (Riesling 83-88° Oechsle compared with 76-83° for Spätlese). Auslese wines are more intense, sweeter and longer-lived. Botrytis is often present in Auslese, but rare in Spätlese.
A traditional Auslese is usually noble-sweet with 30-80 g/l residual sugar and shows lush fruit, honeyed sweetness and balance from high acidity. However, there are also dry Auslesen (rare) that are powerful and high in alcohol (13-14% vol.), often labelled "Auslese trocken" or Großes Gewächs.
The minimum must weight depends on grape variety and growing region: Riesling 83-88° Oechsle, Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner 85-90°, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc 90-95°. That corresponds to a potential alcohol content of about 11-13% vol. if all the sugar were fermented.
Auslesen age outstandingly well: thanks to high acidity and natural sugar content they can easily mature for 20-50+ years. In doing so they develop petrol notes, honey and nutty aromas, caramel and increasing complexity and depth.
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