Late harvest

An American wine term referring to wines made from grapes picked toward the end of the harvest (usually late fall), preferably those with Botrytis Cinerea, a fungus that shrivels the grape thereby concentrating its sugar. Late-harvest wines are very sweet and usually have a high alcohol content. The most popular grapes used for these Dessert Wines are Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc.