Vendange tardive
Encyclopedia
Vendange tardive means "late harvest" in French
. The phrase refers to a style of dessert wine
where the grapes are allowed to hang on the vine until they start to dehydrate. This process, called passerillage, concentrates the sugars in the juice and changes the flavours within it. The name is sometimes written as the plural form, vendanges tardives, referring to the fact that several runs through the vineyard is often necessary to produce such wines.
Alsace wine
s were the first to be described as vendange tardive but the term is now used in other regions of France. Since 1984, the term has been legally defined in Alsace and may only be applied to wines that exceed a minimum must weight
and pass blind tasting by the INAO. Sélection de Grains Nobles
("SGN") is an even sweeter category, for grapes affected by noble rot
. Vendange tardive is also an official wine designation in Luxembourg
.
Since German
is a common language in Alsace, the designation vendange tardive is often translated literally as Spätlese by the Alsatians. However, the must weight requirement for a VT is higher than for the Prädikat Spätlese
in Germany
or Austria
. In wine classification terms, a VT wine from Alsace is more close to a German or Austrian Auslese
.
first described a wine as vendange tardive after the long hot summer of 1976. Despite the German influence on Alsace , there was no real tradition of making dessert wines as there was across the border, although exceptional vintages had produced wines of great sweetness and longevity. Hugel set out to change this, but he insisted that the reputation of the product could only be maintained by tight regulation—as a winemaker he knew what tricks could be played in the cellar. Hence he drafted rules for vendange tardive wine that were eventually accepted by the INAO on 1 March 1984, and known unofficially as Hugel's Law in recognition of Johnny's crusade. The minimum sugar levels were increased in 2001. The criteria are :
Between 1981 and 1989, the number of producers rose from 11 to over 500.
classification, but are routinely exceeded by good producers; on the other hand Alsace wines tend to be fermented
more completely than those across the Rhine, reducing the amount of sugar in the final wine. Some vendange tardive wines are fairly dry, most are sweet but not cloyingly so; all are characterised by great richness. Sélection de Grains Nobles is roughly equivalent to the German Beerenauslese
, with the honeyed flavours characteristic of noble rot
.
Gewurztraminer
is the most common variety used for vendange tardive wines, as it readily achieves high sugar levels; these are harder to attain with Riesling
and Pinot Gris
, but with greater acidity to balance the sweetness, such wines can be very long-lived. Muscat vendange tardive wines are sometimes seen.
or tarte Tatin
.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. The phrase refers to a style of dessert wine
Dessert wine
Dessert wines are sweet wines typically served with dessert.There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal, as opposed to the white fortified wines drunk before the meal, and the red fortified wines drunk after it...
where the grapes are allowed to hang on the vine until they start to dehydrate. This process, called passerillage, concentrates the sugars in the juice and changes the flavours within it. The name is sometimes written as the plural form, vendanges tardives, referring to the fact that several runs through the vineyard is often necessary to produce such wines.
Alsace wine
Alsace wine
Alsace wine or Alsatian wine is produced in the Alsace region in France and is primarily white. These wines, which for historical reasons have a strong Germanic influence, are produced under three different Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées : Alsace AOC for white, rosé and red wines, Alsace Grand...
s were the first to be described as vendange tardive but the term is now used in other regions of France. Since 1984, the term has been legally defined in Alsace and may only be applied to wines that exceed a minimum must weight
Must weight
Must weight is a measure of the amount of sugar in grape juice , and hence indicates the amount of alcohol that could be produced if it is all fermented to alcohol, rather than left as residual sugar...
and pass blind tasting by the INAO. Sélection de Grains Nobles
Sélection de Grains Nobles
Sélection de Grains Nobles is French for "selection of noble berries" and refers to wines made from grapes affected by noble rot. SGN wines are sweet dessert wines with rich, concentrated flavours...
("SGN") is an even sweeter category, for grapes affected by noble rot
Noble rot
Noble rot is the benevolent form of a grey fungus, Botrytis cinerea, affecting wine grapes. Infestation by Botrytis requires moist conditions, and if the weather stays wet, the malevolent form, "grey rot", can destroy crops of grapes...
. Vendange tardive is also an official wine designation in Luxembourg
Luxembourg wine
Luxembourg wine is primarily produced in the southeastern part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, with vineyards overlooking the Moselle River. Along this river, which for 42 km makes up part of the border between Luxembourg and Germany, wine is made in three countries. There is a continuous history...
.
Since German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
is a common language in Alsace, the designation vendange tardive is often translated literally as Spätlese by the Alsatians. However, the must weight requirement for a VT is higher than for the Prädikat Spätlese
Spätlese
Spätlese is a German wine term for a wine from fully ripe grapes, the lightest of the late harvest wines. Spätlese is a riper category than Kabinett in the Prädikatswein category of the German wine classification and is the lowest level of Prädikatswein in Austria, where Kabinett is classified in...
in Germany
German wine
German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of the German wine production is situated in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where 6 of the 13 regions ...
or Austria
Austrian wine
Austrian wines are mostly dry white wines with some luscious dessert wines made around the Neusiedler See. About 30% of the wines are red, made from Blaufränkisch , Pinot Noir and locally bred varieties such as Zweigelt...
. In wine classification terms, a VT wine from Alsace is more close to a German or Austrian Auslese
Auslese
Auslese is a German language wine term for a late harvest wine and is a riper category than Spätlese in the Prädikatswein category of the Austrian and German wine classification. The grapes are picked from selected very ripe bunches in the autumn , and have to be hand picked...
.
Hugel's Law
Jean "Johnny" HugelJean Hugel
Jean "Johnny" Frederic Hugel was an Alsatian wine producer, described by wine expert Tom Stevenson as "the single most important person in the development of Alsace wine industry throughout the 20th century."...
first described a wine as vendange tardive after the long hot summer of 1976. Despite the German influence on Alsace , there was no real tradition of making dessert wines as there was across the border, although exceptional vintages had produced wines of great sweetness and longevity. Hugel set out to change this, but he insisted that the reputation of the product could only be maintained by tight regulation—as a winemaker he knew what tricks could be played in the cellar. Hence he drafted rules for vendange tardive wine that were eventually accepted by the INAO on 1 March 1984, and known unofficially as Hugel's Law in recognition of Johnny's crusade. The minimum sugar levels were increased in 2001. The criteria are :
- A declaration to the INAO in advance of the intention to harvest late, and the vineyards specified
- A physical check of the grapes, and of the quality of the juice
- A minimum must weight equivalent to 15.3% potential alcohol for GewurztraminerGewürztraminerGewürztraminer is an aromatic wine grape variety that performs best in cooler climates. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as Gewürz, and in French it is written '...
& Pinot GrisPinot GrisPinot gris is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name but the grape can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance...
, and 14% potential alcohol for RieslingRieslingRiesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
& MuscatMuscat OttonelMuscat Ottonel or Muskat-Ottonel is a white wine grape that is a member of the Muscat family of Vitis vinifera. It is most notable for its use in dessert wines from Austria, Croatia and Serbia as well as dry wines from Alsace and Hungary...
. - For Sélection de Grains Nobles the minimums are 18.2% and 16.4% respectively.
- No chaptalisation nor acidification
- The wine certified by INAO officials
- The wine may not be released without a blind tasting by the INAO, at least 18 months after it is made
Between 1981 and 1989, the number of producers rose from 11 to over 500.
Styles
The minimum sugar levels in the juice are a bit above those required for the German AusleseAuslese
Auslese is a German language wine term for a late harvest wine and is a riper category than Spätlese in the Prädikatswein category of the Austrian and German wine classification. The grapes are picked from selected very ripe bunches in the autumn , and have to be hand picked...
classification, but are routinely exceeded by good producers; on the other hand Alsace wines tend to be fermented
Fermentation (food)
Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol...
more completely than those across the Rhine, reducing the amount of sugar in the final wine. Some vendange tardive wines are fairly dry, most are sweet but not cloyingly so; all are characterised by great richness. Sélection de Grains Nobles is roughly equivalent to the German Beerenauslese
Beerenauslese
Beerenauslese is a German language wine term for a dessert wine-style late harvest wine. Beerenauslese is a category in the Prädikatswein category of the Austrian and German wine classifications, and is a category above Auslese. Beerenauslese wines, often called "BA" for short, are usually made...
, with the honeyed flavours characteristic of noble rot
Noble rot
Noble rot is the benevolent form of a grey fungus, Botrytis cinerea, affecting wine grapes. Infestation by Botrytis requires moist conditions, and if the weather stays wet, the malevolent form, "grey rot", can destroy crops of grapes...
.
Gewurztraminer
Gewürztraminer
Gewürztraminer is an aromatic wine grape variety that performs best in cooler climates. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as Gewürz, and in French it is written '...
is the most common variety used for vendange tardive wines, as it readily achieves high sugar levels; these are harder to attain with Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
and Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris
Pinot gris is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name but the grape can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance...
, but with greater acidity to balance the sweetness, such wines can be very long-lived. Muscat vendange tardive wines are sometimes seen.
Food matches
In Alsace, vendange tardive wines are drunk with foie grasFoie gras
Foie gras ; French for "fat liver") is a food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. This fattening is typically achieved through gavage corn, according to French law, though outside of France it is occasionally produced using natural feeding...
or tarte Tatin
Tarte tatin
Tarte Tatin is an upside-down tart in which the fruit are caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked.- History :...
.