science

Late harvest

Late harvest is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Late harvest rather than just read about it. In short: Late harvest is wine made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual. Late harvest is usually an indication of a sweet dessert wine, such as late harvest Riesling.

Key takeaways

Late harvest belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Late harvest to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Late harvest from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Late harvest is wine made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual. Late harvest is usually an indication of a sweet dessert wine, such as late harvest Riesling. Late harvest grapes are often more similar to raisins, but have been naturally dehydrated while on the vine. Botrytis cinerea, or noble rot, is a mold that causes grapes to lose nearly all of their water content. Wines made from botrytis-affected grapes are generally very sweet.

Noble rot

Botrytis cinerea is a fungus that affects many wine grapes and causes them to shrivel into moldy raisins. The fungus responds to the humidity and warmth in the climate and attacks the grapes. As the mold penetrates the skin its spores begin to germinate, causing the water inside to evaporate and the grape to dehydrate. With the absence of water, the sugar becomes more concentrated and the botrytis begins to alter the acidity within the grape. Typically botrytis infection begins to take place in late September and can last till late October. In some years desiccation may occur leaving tiny amount of sweet liquor like juice within the grape. The infection rate of botrytis is sporadic with vines and bunches achieving full rottenness at different times. This requires harvest workers to go through the vineyards several times between October and November to hand-pick the full rotted grapes. In some occasions, the usable grapes from a single vine may only produce enough juice for a single glass.

Sauternes

Sauternes, such as Château d'Yquem, are produced in the Sauternes region (including Barsac) south of Bordeaux. They are made from botrytis infected Semillon and Sauvignon blanc grapes. Semillon is preferred due to the grape's thin skin and susceptibility to the botrytis which gives the grape a high sugar content. These wines are noted for the balance that complements the honeyed sweetness. During fermentation, the juice is transferred into oak wine barrels where the high sugar concentration of must prolongs the fermentation time which can last up to a year. When the alcohol level kills off all present yeast, the fermentation stops leaving the residual sugar at levels between 8 and 12% and alcohol levels around 14%. After fermentation, the wine is placed in an aging barrel for two to three years before it is bottled where it will continue aging. A Sauterne from a reputable estate can bottle age for over 30 years though they normally hit their peak 10 years after the vintage date.

Tokaji/Tokaj/Tokajské

Tokaji wines are produced in the Tokaj regions of Hungary and Slovakia. Wine has been made in these regions since as early as 1650, before the botrytized wines of Sauternes and the Rheingau were produced. The Furmint, Yellow Muscat, and Hárslevelű/Lipovina grapes are the primary grapes used in this wine. In a manner similar to Sherry, the wine is aged in partially filled barrels with a film of yeast on top and stored underground in wine caverns.

German late harvest wines

In Germany, wines are classified according to the ripeness of the grape at time of harvest. Within the Qualitätswein mit Prädikat classification, there are four levels of late harvest wines, roughly ranging from dry to very sweet: Spätlese ("late harvest"), Auslese ("selected harvest"), Beerenauslese ("selected berries harvest") and Trockenbeerenauslese ("selected dried-berries harvest") with the last two levels being botrytized.

Icewine

Ice wines are popular in the cold northernly wine regions of Germany and Canada where the grapes can freeze on the vine. As the grapes are pressed, the frozen water crystals are eliminated leaving the highly concentrated sugar behind.

Raisin wine

Raisin wines are sometimes made from grapes that have been left on the vine in the sun to concentrate their sugar. The result is similar to that of the ice wine process, but is a much older process and suitable for warm climates.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Late harvest

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Late harvest claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Late harvest before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Late harvest ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Late harvest

In research: Late harvest appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Late harvest in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Late harvest is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Dessert wine, Wine terminology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Late harvest outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Late harvest in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Late harvest means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Late harvest out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Late harvest in simple terms?

Late harvest is wine made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual. Late harvest is usually an indication of a sweet dessert wine, such as late harvest Riesling.

Why does Late harvest matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Late harvest?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Late harvest.