FREAKISH. Bizarre. Absurd. Beyond human experience. And that’s been the more measured reaction to the 2010 vintage for German rieslings, which consisted of an unusually small crop of grapes that combined ludicrously high levels of acidity with unexpected amounts of sweetness.

The result was a singular vintage the likes of which many German producers say they’ve never encountered before. Naturally, the Dining section wine panel leapt at the opportunity to taste such an oddball collection. And, not knowing when to leave well enough alone, we decided to embrace the outlandish and taste only 2010 auslese rieslings.

Of course, nothing is really strange about ausleses. They are simply among the greatest wines that nobody drinks. Though Americans have fallen in love with rieslings over the last five years, it’s clear that ausleses in particular remain an unexplored jewel of a territory.

The reason for this has something to do with the daunting German nomenclature, which organizes grapes by how ripe they are at harvest. Among the best grapes, the scale of ripeness begins with kabinett, which, in the classic style, makes wines that are lightly sweet, beautifully delicate and fragile. Next up is spätlese, riper grapes that leave more residual sugar in the wines when fermented, but which ideally are balanced, complex and refreshing.