Declassified Wines
Do you finally get access to great wines that previously were only for
certain people's 'eyes only'
? Not really, but it does mean better access. In recent years as the
weather has continued to warm, the german grape harvest has become more
ripe. Of course winemakers can manipulate wine to do their bidding,
however there is only so much that can be done. One big bonus of riper
grapes is that the lower level (and less expensive) QmP wines, ie Kabinetts, show more fruit and are lower alcohol. These
wines can often rate as a Spätlese but
the winemaker proabably has other grapes earmarked for Spätlese. Taking
a near Spätlese and
selling it as a Kabinett is Declassification. In the 2005
vintage you will see many 90+ rated kabinetts, which is unusual, but
becoming less so. It is clear that reviewers score higher concentrations
of fruit (and sometimes residual sugar) higher. There are of course declassified Auslese, ie Auslese
labeled as Spätlese. There
is a downside to all this. Some german wine fans prize the balance of
light fruit and alcohol of traditional Kabinetts. They feel that when
the wine has to work for the
fruit, it reveals the true character of what is considered a
Riesling. Debates aside, the warming climate is affecting the
character of German wines, but they continue to be evermore interesting
and complex.