Fruity Spätlese celebrated

Under the motto 'out of the shadows, into the spotlight', more than 40 members of the VDP (German premium wine growers' association) got together on 28 Nov last year in Cologne (or Köln, as we Germans like to call it) to present their first-ever joint tasting of Spätlesen produced in the classic mould (ie not dry, or trocken).

The great majority of wines came from the 2009 vintage, but some growers included some golden oldies for added interest. Not all of the latter flattered to deceive, but they all fulfilled an educational purpose. As they say, it's the taking...