right|thumb|a spÃ¤tlese level wine from the mosel. spÃ¤tlese (literal meaning: "late harvest"; plural form is spÃ¤tlesen) is a german wine term for a wine from fully ripe grapes, the lightest of the late harvest wines. spÃ¤tlese is a riper category than kabinett in the prÃ¤dikatswein category of the german wine classificationdeutsches weininstitut (german wine institute): quality categories, accessed on may 19, 2008 and is the lowest level of prÃ¤dikatswein in austria, where kabinett is classified in another way.wines from austria: quality designations in detail, accessed on may 19, 2008 in both cases, spÃ¤tlese is below auslese in terms of ripeness. the grapes are picked at least 7 days after normal harvest, so they are riper and have a higher must weight. because of the weather, waiting to pick the grapes later carries a risk of the crop being ruined by rain. however, in warm years and from good sites much of the harvest will reach spÃ¤tlese level. the wines may be either sweet or dry (trocken); it is a level of ripeness that particularly suits rich dry wines from riesling, weiÃer burgunder and grauer burgunder grapes for example, as at auslese levels the alcohol levels may become very high in a dry wine leaving the wine unbalanced, making wines with at least some residual sweetness preferable to most palates. however, most german wines are traditionally dry, and the amount of sugar is not the only factor balancing a wine. dry german wines can be very balanced and usually get higher rates from german wine journalists than a comparable wine with more sugar. many spÃ¤tlese wines will age well, especially those made from the riesling grape. == characteristics == thumb|left|a riesling spÃ¤tlese from mosel. *greater intensity and strength than kabinett *high level of acidity that curbs any overt sweetness *fleshy and intensely flavored *often tastes of apple, pear and honeysuckle *elegant nose with highly detectable aromas == requirements == the minimum must weight requirements for spÃ¤tlese are as follows: * in german wine, 76 to 90 degrees oechsle, depending on the region, 1g of moist cloyster (wine growing zone) and grape variety.deutsches weininstitut (german wine institute): must weights, accessed on may 19, 2008 * in austrian wine, 19 degrees kmw, corresponding to 95 Â°oechsle.[http:/
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