The late-harvest wines: Vendange Tardive, or Vendanges Tardives

Late-picked wines have always been produced in Alsace in small quantities in outstanding vintages. To be labelled as Vendange Tardive, a term to which Alsace producers claim exclusive rights in France, a wine must come from a single vintage, from one of the four permitted varieties Riesling, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, or Pinot Gris. The wine must not be enriched in any way, and the minimum sugar concentration at harvest must be 220 g/l (95 °Oechsle) for Riesling or Muscat, and 243 g/l (105 °Oechsle) for Gewurztraminer or Pinot Gris. Picking must take place after a certain date, determined annually by the authorities, who must be informed beforehand of the grower’s intention to pick a Vendange Tardive wine, and may inspect the vineyard at the time of picking to check the sugar concentration and quantity produced. The wine must also undergo an analysis and tasting after bottling, before the label is granted. Vendange Tardive wines do not have to be botrytis-affected. The most common varietal for Vendange Tardive wines is Gewurztraminer, which can easily attain very high sugar levels. Muscat is the rarest of all, and is only possible in occasional vintages. Vendange Tardive wine is not necessarily sweet, and may vary from bone dry to medium sweet. Quality varies as widely as sweetness levels.