Late Harvest Wines Explained: How They Are Made and Where Their Aromas Come From

This is a shorter and more accessible version of the original technical article on late harvest wines and their aromas.

Late harvest wines are among the most captivating wines in the world. They start with a simple decision in the vineyard. Instead of picking when grapes reach normal ripeness, the grower waits. Grapes remain on the vine as days grow cooler and nights longer. Water slowly evaporates, sugars and acids concentrate, and aroma precursors build up to levels that are rarely seen in table wines.

The result in the glass can be amazing. Honey, apricot, orange marmalade, saffron, dried pineapple, candied citrus and exotic flowers all appear in different combinations. These are not random flavors. They come from specific processes in the berry, and from deliberate choices in the cellar.

What Is Late Harvest Wine

A late harvest wine is made from grapes picked later than normal for that grape and region. The berries stay on the vine during part of the autumn, sometimes into early winter in cold climates. During this time, three important things happened.

• Grapes lose water. Everything inside becomes more concentrated.
• Sugars and acids increase in concentration, which sets the stage for sweet but balanced wines.
• Aroma precursors and some aroma compounds develop further and in different directions than in standard harvest fruit.

Late harvest grapes are therefore not just riper. They are a different raw material. The pool of flavor and aroma compounds is larger and more complex, and green notes from unripe fruit are far less present.

Where Do The Aromas Come From

The aromas of late harvest wines come from a combination of concentration and transformation.

Concentration

As grapes lose water, the amount of dissolved substances per unit of juice increases. Sugars rise, which allows very sweet must. Organic acids such as tartaric and malic also concentrate, which is important to keep the wine lively. At the same time, precursors for aroma compounds become more abundant. Families of molecules that are responsible for peach, apricot, citrus and floral notes can reach levels several times higher than in normal harvest grapes.

Enzymes and Bound Aromas

Many aroma compounds in grapes are present in bound form. This means they are attached to sugar molecules and have no smell. They form a kind of hidden reservoir. During late ripening and later during fermentation and aging, enzymes and natural acidity break these bonds. When this happens, free aromatic molecules are released and the wine becomes more expressive.

This is why some late harvest wines seem to open up and gain complexity with age. They are still slowly freeing aroma compounds that were originally stored in bound form.

Carotenoids and Norisoprenoids

Pigments in the grape pulp called carotenoids can break down over time into very powerful aroma compounds. These are known as norisoprenoids. Even at tiny concentrations, they add layers of honey, apple, dried fruit, violet, and sometimes the famous petrol note in aged Riesling. Extended hang time and gentle oxidation help this family of aromas to develop.

Reducing Green Notes

In less ripe grapes, certain molecules give aromas of green grass, leaves, or bell pepper. As grapes move beyond normal ripeness, the production of these compounds slows and their levels fall. Sun exposure during the season also helps to reduce them. With fewer green aromas, ripe fruit, and honeyed notes can shine more clearly.

Four Main Styles Of Late Harvest Wine

Late harvest is not one single style. The way grapes ripen and concentrate depends on climate, fungus activity, and winemaking choices. Broadly, four families of late harvest wines are most important.

1. Botrytised Wines

Botrytised wines come from grapes that have been infected by a beneficial form of Botrytis cinerea, often called noble rot. The right conditions are essential. Mornings must be humid and misty to allow the fungus to grow, while afternoons must be dry and sunny so that berries shrivel rather than rot.

The fungus punctures the grape skin, leading to faster dehydration. It also has its own metabolism. Botrytis produces compounds that contribute honey, dried fruit, mushroom, and beeswax aromas. It also modifies grape acids and sugars and increases glycerol, which gives a rich texture on the palate.

Classic regions for this style include Sauternes and Barsac in Bordeaux, Tokaj in Hungary, and some sites in Germany and Austria. Typical aromas include honey, dried apricot, orange marmalade, caramelised apple, ginger, acacia, sometimes saffron, and subtle notes of mushroom or forest floor.

2. Ice Wine

Ice wine belongs to a different world. Here, grapes remain healthy and are left on the vine until the winter cold arrives. When temperatures fall low enough, usually around minus seven or minus eight degrees Celsius or even lower, grapes freeze. They are picked and pressed while still frozen.

Water freezes before sugar and many aroma compounds. During pressing, concentrated juice flows out while ice crystals stay back in the press. This is natural cryoconcentration. Oxidation is limited, and there is no noble rot involved.

Aromas in ice wine are pure and very fruit-driven. Think of fresh peach, apricot, apple, pear, pineapple, citrus, and white flowers. Acidity is usually high, which gives spine and freshness and keeps the intense sweetness in balance. Canada and Germany are benchmarks for this style, often using Riesling or Vidal.

3. Sun Dried And Passito Wines

In warmer regions, growers often remove bunches from the vine and dry them in special rooms or on mats. This traditional method is known as appassimento in Italy. Grapes may dry for weeks or months, losing a large portion of their water. The process is slow and needs good ventilation to avoid unwanted moulds.

Aromas in these wines reflect gentle oxidation and dehydration. Common notes include fig, date, raisin, dried apricot, almond, walnut, caramel, and sweet spice. Vin Santo from Tuscany, Recioto della Valpolicella, and Passito di Pantelleria are famous examples.

4. Clean Late Harvest Wines Without Botrytis

In some cool but dry regions, grapes can simply hang and ripen further without noble rot or drying off the vine. These clean late harvest wines show the effect of extra ripening and concentration, but without the intense fungal character of botrytised styles.

Aromas tend to focus on very ripe stone fruit, bright citrus, sometimes tropical notes and floral tones, supported by high acidity. German Riesling at the Spätlese level in certain vintages is a good example.

How Late Harvest Wines Are Made

Across all these styles, a few key steps shape the final wine.

Careful Harvesting

Late harvest fruit is fragile and often picked by hand. For botrytised wines, pickers may make several passes through the vineyard, selecting only berries that show the right level of noble rot. For ice wine, harvest happens in the middle of the night or early morning at very low temperatures. For passito styles, only healthy bunches are picked, as unwanted mould would spoil the drying rooms.

Gentle Pressing

Pressing concentrated fruit is slow work. The must is viscous, and wineries use gentle cycles to avoid extracting harsh tannins and bitter compounds. In the case of ice wine, pressing can take many hours because the grapes are frozen.

Slow Fermentation

High sugar levels put stress on yeast. Fermentations can last for weeks or months. Winemakers choose yeast strains that tolerate high sugar and adjust nutrients and temperature with care. In many cases, fermentation is stopped while a large amount of natural sugar remains, by chilling, adding sulfur dioxide, or filtering out the yeast.

Aging

Some late harvest wines age in stainless steel to keep a very pure fruit profile. Others age in large old casks or in small barrels, which add gentle oxygen and sometimes flavors of vanilla, toast and spice. Over time, fresh fruit notes settle into more complex layers of dried and candied fruit, nuts, honey and caramel.

Food Pairing With Late Harvest Wines

Late harvest wines are natural partners for many foods, not only desserts.

• Botrytised wines are classic with foie gras or blue cheese.
• Ice wine pairs beautifully with fruit tarts, citrus desserts and even spicy Asian cuisine.
• Passito wines work well with dark chocolate, almond based pastries and aged hard cheeses.

A good rule is that the dish should not be sweeter than the wine. Richness, salt, spice and umami all help balance sweetness and make the pairing more interesting.

Why Late Harvest Wines Age So Well

Many late harvest wines can age for decades. Several factors explain this impressive longevity. The high sugar content acts as a natural preservative. High acidity provides structure and keeps the wines from feeling heavy. The concentration of extract and flavor compounds is high, so the wines have something to lose and still remain interesting.

Over time, primary fruit tones move toward dried and candied fruit, honey, nuts, spice and sometimes gentle oxidative notes. In varieties such as Riesling, the petrol nuance can become more pronounced. The best bottles remain fresh and complex even after thirty or forty years when well stored.

Sucrolicious

Late harvest wines are far more than sweet wines served at the end of a meal. They are detailed expressions of climate, terroir and patient winemaking. Each style tells a different story. Botrytised wines speak of rivers and autumn mists. Ice wine recalls freezing nights in the vineyard. Passito wines tell of sun, air and slow drying in lofts.

When you next raise a glass of Sauternes, Tokaji, German Riesling Auslese, Canadian ice wine or Italian passito, take a moment to smell it carefully. Behind the honey and apricot, there is a whole chain of events that began with a grower who decided to wait a little longer before picking.

Santé and cheers to the art of late harvest winemaking, in all its sweet and aromatic complexity.