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(JEP) wrote in message . com>...
> (Jaybert41) wrote in message >...
> >
> > Can anyone explain why the lesser QMP's would show lower acidiy levels and
> > therefore be out of balance than the much riper (and presumably sweeter)
> > Spatleses, Ausleses, BA's and TBA's?
>
> One theory that could explain this is:
>
> During times of high heat or extreme lack of water, the vine can start
> to shut down and sugar production comes to a halt. Therefore no sugar
> is being sent to the grapes, but the malate present in the grape itsef
> is still respired, reducing it's content. So now the grapes could have
> fairly low sugar content and low malic acid content and these end up
> going into the Kabinetts and Spatlese.
>
> The vines that did not suffer from the high heat and lack of water
> continue to produce sugar at a high rate due to the above average
> amount of sun light and are picked when the acid levels are right, but
> with a much higher Brix. They may actually be picked before the
> Kabinett/Spatlese grapes.
> These go into the Auslese.
>
> Some of these Auslese grapes are left on the vine and dehydration
> starts, concentrating both the acids and the sugar. Even though some
> of the malate is still being consumed in the grapes, the dehydration
> of the grapes can keep the acid to water ratio the same while sugar to
> water ratio increases. These go into the BA and TBAs.
>
> Or the winemaker could have just added acid.
>
> Andy

In fact, Johannes Hasselbach (son of winemaker Fritz Hasselbach of
Gunderloch) said exactly that. The extreme heat shrivled the berries
thereby increasing the concentration of acidity which helped a great
deal.

The key thing is balance; I found in tasting that most of the Kab's
and Spatlese's still managed a good balance between sugar and acidity.
I did not find that the case as much the sweeter the wine got.
Plus, the BA/TBA's had very little botrytis which to me, really just
makes the wine very sweet and concentrated (and not as complex)

Peter