Winemaking Technique
Late Harvest
Harvest & Must Adjustment
Late harvest picks grapes weeks after normal ripeness, allowing sugar concentration, flavor intensification, and sometimes noble rot development. Alsace Vendange Tardive and German Spätlese exemplify the spectrum from off-dry to lusciously sweet.
Also known as: Vendange tardive, Late-picked grapes
Purpose
Increase sugar concentration and flavor intensity through delayed picking.
Process stage
Harvest
How it works
- Dessert wines
- Off-dry styles
- Alsace VT
Common wine styles
Common grape varieties
Common regions
Descriptors created
Descriptors reduced
Opposite techniques
Serving implications
Beginner explanation
Late harvest doesn't always mean sweet — check the label for sweetness level.
FAQ
- Is late harvest always sweet?
- Not always — some late-harvest wines are off-dry; Alsace VT and German Auslese span a wide sweetness range.
Related ontology entities
- Riesling Wine Style
- Gewürztraminer Wine Style
- Chenin Blanc Wine Style
- Alsace Wine Region
- Mosel Wine Region
- Rheingau Wine Region
- Germany Wine Region
- Honeyed Descriptor
- Rich Descriptor
- Floral Descriptor
- Riesling Grape Variety
- Dessert Wine Glass Serving
- Lightly Chilled Serving