Spätlese means late harvest, but at Egon Muller the term is used for wines made from grapes of superior ripeness. Scharzhofberger makes extraordinary wines that defy the normal categories of sweet and dry. It remains one of only a handful of German sites which are permitted to label wines very plainly under the vineyard name. Parcels of Riesling exhibiting the requisite qualities of a Spätlese are fermented mostly through the action of wild yeasts in old, thousand litres oak foudres. The wines are raised in ancient cellars which were built by mediaeval monks. The deep, very cold and damp environments make the perfect environment in which to gently age the wines, which are made for the long haul.