Late Hrvest Wines

Q- Are late-harvest wines always sweet? : A: Although late-harvest wines are traditionally sweet, in recent years the grapes for some dry Italian whites, for example Verdicchio, are being harvested from two to four weeks later than usual. Why? In order to achieve more powerful, structured wines. Harvesting for dry wines normally takes place when the producer decides that sugar and acidity in the grapes is properly balanced. If the winemaker postpones the harvest, sugar increases. Harvesting late produces a fatter, more sugary wine richer in alcohol. It is more sumptuous and substantial. To produce a dry late-harvest wine, fermentation must continue until all the sugar has been used up. If the wine is high in acidity, then the result can be balanced, elegant, concentrated and well structured.