A Moment in Time: Understanding Ripeness

A closer look at berry development and the factors affecting their ripeness

Few wine regions in the world are as focused on ripeness as Germany and Austria, whose Prädikatswein classification systems revolve around the ripeness and sugar content of the grapes at harvest. It is, of course, a matter of ripeness rather than the sweetness of the resulting wine, as both Spätlese and Auslese can be vinified completely dry. The origins of this classification system lie in an attempt to distinguish wines made from under-ripe grapes from those of superior quality. Given the cool climates of Germany and Austria, achieving appropriate ripeness was often a challenge—essential not only for flavour development and body but also for that all-important alcohol content.

The Prädikatswein system, as we know it today, was formally introduced under the 1971 German wine law as part of a major reform aimed at bringing clarity and structure to wine categorisation and labelling conventions. However, its roots stretch back much further to the late 18th and early 19th centuries in regi…