This is cross-posted from the original article on The Unreserved.com.
Okay, what is it about sweet wines having such a bad rep? Every general Joe-schmo out there to whom I offer, suggest, recommend a luscious lovely always, and I mean always says, “No thanks. I don’t like sweet wines.”. Really? Are you sure, or are you basing that on the one cheap asti plonk you tried 15 years ago? It’s kind of like the “I don’t drink white wine” syndrome that is purely on the crappy, low-budg, heavy, oaky Chardonnays we all had to choke down at most weddings. It has to stop.
If you’re not drinking sweet wines, you are missing a big party in your mouth.
I recently took a few wine courses and tasted more than 30 wines at one go or over the course of a few hours – every kind of wine across the board. Reds, whites, cheap, expensive, sparkling, fortified, sweet… you name it, we tried it. It’s easy to swirl, swish, taste and spit when you’re on a mission. With a lot of wines to get through when you’re learning about this stuff, you want to spit and be sober at the end to know what end is up or down, for the most part. It’s the sweet wines that sneak by you, or rather, by your mouth. The “whoops, had to let that one slip down” wines – the mouth feel and taste on these guys are just so damn good you can’t spit them out.
So what is a sweet wine? Well, a few things. Firstly, a sweet wine is commonly referred to as dessert wine, simply because it’s nicely matched with, you guessed it, dessert. Sweet with sweet – a classic pairing. Rather than be confusing or getting to indepth, I will refer to all wines with any level of sweetness as plain ol’ sweet wine: fortified, distilled, an aperitif or with dessert.
I am hoping that laying out sweet wines in a bit of a mish-mash list might help to inspire you to hunt down and try some of these suggestions, starting with some fortified. Port is a perfect place to begin.
Port and Sherry are perhaps the better known fortified wines. Wines can also be made as dry and semi-dry, but my point here is to direct you to the excellence of the sweet ones. These can be strong and maybe even an acquired taste, but like all grape varietals and wines, you can always find one you like.
PORT:
Port is typically sweet, can only be called Port if it is produced in Portugal (in the Duoro Valley in the north) and is made by adding a neutral spirit such as Brandy to the fermentation process. Other countries make fortified wines in the port style but cannot be called port. You’re not going to find a specific varietal on a bottle of port; they are made as a blend. Try These:
- Noval Quinta do Noval Late Bottled Vintage
- 10 Year Old Tawny, Graham’s or
- Taylor Fladgate Tawny 20 Year
SHERRY:
Like port, sherry can only be called sherry if it comes from a specific region. This time it’s Spain, and like port it’s fortified with Brandy during fermentation. To most it can be an acquired taste, but it’s so fine if you can get there. For the sweet ones, look for Oloroso on the label. It’s one of those things you just need to try it to believe it:
- Lustao Pedro Ximénez
- Sacromonte Oloroso
MADEIRA:
Very similar to port, this is a fortified wine but specifically made in the Madeira Islands, off the coast of Portugal. The sweet ones are sometimes labeled with the grape malmsey and doce, which means sweet. Next time, rather than a bottle of port, give Madeira a shot.
ICE WINE:
Frozen grapes on the vine typically only happens in cold climate countries, Canada and Germany being the most famous for their ice wines. The grapes used are often Riesling, Vidal and Cabernet Franc. Some stellar Made In Canada picks:
- Peller Estates Ice Wines
- Inniskillin Vidal
SPARKLING SWEETS:
A little sweet bubbly never goes astray. Your cheap and fresh recommendation is Moscato d’Asti. Try Cava dulce from Spain and of course there’s much to choose from in the Champagne aisle. Look for “Doux” on the label for the sweetest you can find.
LATE-HARVEST:
Saving the best until last. I love late harvest anything: Luscious and mouth-watering. Late harvest simply means the grapes were left on the vine longer than a typical harvest in the hopes of developing Nobel Rot, or “Botrytis Cinerea”. Yes, a thing called Nobel Rot is a very good thing when it comes to these grapes and wines. Some of my favourites and must-tries:
- Sauternes – from the Sauterne wine region in France (made from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes). Hunt down a Chateau d’Yquem.
- Tokaji from Hungary, a National Pride. Try Oremus Tokaji Aszu 3 Puttonyos
- Late Harvest Riesling – Winery Schloss Johannisberg is a good place to start.
- Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc – look for the affordable Errazuriz Late Harvest
- German Wines – check for Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese on the label
Best pairings for these luscious wines are some of the best foods that by no coincidence also melt in your mouth: cheese (stilton for ports, soft cheese for ice wines), rich chocolate, nutty desserts with sherry works well, or match up sweet or fruity desserts and definitely foie gras (with it all) – YUM!
