What is Beerenauslese (BA)?

• A. Dessert wines from dried grapes
• B. Late-harvest wines made from botrytized berries; typically sweet
• C. Early-harvest wines with high acidity
• D. Sparkling wines from beet sugar

Answer: (B)

Beerenauslese is a German/Austrian wine category for very late-harvest wines made from individually selected berries, often affected by noble rot (botrytis). The extra concentrating effect of picking late and using botrytized fruit yields wines that are typically very sweet, with rich, honeyed flavors and enough acidity to keep them balanced. This combination—late harvest plus botrytized berries—is why this description fits best.

Wines described as being made from dried grapes point to a different style, where the grapes are shriveled and extremely concentrated, and early-harvest wines with high acidity refer to crisper, less ripe styles, not these intensely sweet bottlings. Sparkling wines from beet sugar are a completely different category, unrelated to the botrytized late-harvest approach.