Spätlese

Plural spätlesen. Literally “late harvest.” A level of ripeness indicating that the wine was just ripe according to the traditional German system. According to this traditional system, a spätlese could be dry, half dry, or semi sweet. In the distinctly different modern German system adopted by members of the VDP, spätlese is a level of sweetness above kabinett.

Sauternes is among the few regions in the world devoted to extraordinary sweet wines. Which of the following is not one of the five communes that can produce Sauternes wines?

A. Barsac

B. Bommes

C. Loupiac

D. Fargues

The communes of Sauternes, Barsac, Bommes, Fargues, and Preignac in the southern Graves region of Bordeaux all produce sweet wines and all are permitted to use the overall name Sauternes for their wines. (Barsac, a slight exception, can be sold as either Barsac or Sauternes). Loupiac, an appellation also dedicated to sweet wine, is not a part of the Sauternes “group,” although its wines are made in the same manner from botrytised grapes. Loupiac is located between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers in the Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux. Loupiac is sometimes thought of as “poor man’s Sauternes.”

“Many drinkers think of white wine as foreplay and feel somehow unsatisfied with a meal that doesn’t lead eventually to red.”

—Jay McInerney, Bacchus & Me

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