Spätlesereiter

Spätlesereiter

Popular name for the statue of a rider in the Rheingau Schloss Johannisberg (Rheingau). The rider carries a large bunch of grapes in his hand, symbolizing the documented proven "invention" of the late vintage . From the year 1718 in this area, the read permission of the prince bishop of Fulda by the so-called autumn courier was delivered in written form. In 1775 this was done to the (even desperate) Benedictine Father Provost's Charge of the Johannisberg by 14 days late. There are at least two versions of the cause of delay. One says to the Prince-Bishop was on the hunt and therefore is not for the granting of licenses have been reached. The other is the courier had been captured by bandits. Meanwhile, the grapes were transferred to rot or shrink. They were read anyway, and because (the unexpected) excellent results from that date to the standard. It should be noted however, that at the time by modern standards a late harvest from Botrytis infected grapes produced by the Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese was easy to understand. See also Icewine .