Dessert Wines
Talk about turning a negative into a positive. Many dessert wines
depend on a type of mould or freezing weather to make them sweet.
This section tells you a little about these sweet treats.
Talk about turning a negative into a positive. Many dessert wines
depend on a type of mould or freezing weather to make them sweet.
This section tells you a little about these sweet treats.
How Sweet it Is
Dessert wines often go best with after-dinner foods that compliment
sweetness, rather than those comestibles, such as ice cream, that are
sweetened with added sugar. Fruit, nuts, lightly sweetened baked goods and
paté come to mind. Desserts like ice cream and treacle work better with brandy
or dry sherry. (For fortified wines, see the section entitled Port & Sherry.)
There's any number of ways to make wines sweet, but for our purposes we'll
stick to the major methods. Some grape varieties, like Muscat, are naturally
sweeter than others, but the dessert wines we'll discuss below rely on a
couple methods.
Botrytis cinerea
No, botrytis cinerea in not a venereal disease, though it is a kind of mould that
is allowed to infect grapes in order to make the end product sweeter. It's often
called the "noble rot" because the mould is responsible for producing some of
the world's best dessert wines. Botrytis dehydrates the grape while imparting
flavors like honey and apricot to wine, and also stops fermentation so that all
the sugar does not become alcohol (hence the sweetness). Typically, botrytis
forms best in humid conditions where the morning mist and dew is burned off
by afternoon sun. The rot take a while to settle in, however, so most noble rot
wines are harvested late.
Süssreserve
German for 'reserve of sweetness' Süssreserve is a technique in which
additional unfermented grape must or juice is added to the wine after it has
fermented. This increases sweetness while diluting the alcohol a bit. This
technique allows winemakers to fully ferment the wine without stopping
fermentation.
Freezing on the Vine
Used to make Eisweins ("ice wines"), this method allows, as the name
implies, late-harvest grapes to freeze on the vine before picking. (See Eiswein,
below)
Varieties of Dessert Wines
Beerenauslese
Beerenauslese wines are considered some of the world’s great dessert
wines. German for “select berries,” the name refers to the fact that
Beerenauslese wines are made from hand picked grapes that are pressed
apart from the remainder of the harvest. Grapes used to make these wines
must achieve up to 30 percent sugar before even being picked and are often
infected by botrytis, making them even sweeter. The fermentation process
stops naturally because the extreme ripeness of the grapes increases the
alcohol level to a point where the yeast dies off before all of the sugar can be
consumed, making them both potent and sweet. Highly acidic Beerenauslese
wines are well balanced and age well. And no, I have no idea how to
pronounce Beerenauslese.
Eiswein
Eiswein is simply German for “ice wine.” Eiswein is made from grapes that
have been frozen on the vine and pressed before they are allowed to thaw.
Pressing the grapes prior to thawing removes the frozen from the grape must
or juice. This concentrates sugar and acids. Like Beerenauslesew wines, the
grapes achieve up to 30 percent sugar prior to harvesting. Eisweins tend to be
lighter-bodied but balanced, and can also age well. Other cold-climate regions
also produce Eisweins, including upstate New York and Canada.
Champagne Doux
Doux is the French term for the top sweetness level for sparkling wine. (The
others are sec and demi-sec, in that order.) Champagne doux is after-dinner
dessert bubbly. After the secondary fermentation a dosage, or liquer d’
expedition, is added. The more sugar in the dosage the sweeter the bubbly.
(See also, Sparkling.)
Moscato d’Asti
Moscato d'Asti is a lightly sparkling (frizzante), lightly sweet variety of Muscat,
made from the Moscato Bianco (Muscato Canelli) grape of the Piedmont
region of Italy. This wine derives its sweetness not from dosing with sugar but
as a result of the fermentation process being artificially stopped. Moscato d’
Asti is made by fermenting the juice of Moscato or Muscat grapes in sealed
tanks under pressure, which prevents the natural escape of carbon dioxide
gas, giving it fizz. At a certain point during fermentation, the yeast is filtered out
and fermentation stops. Moscato d’Asti wines tend to be very light-bodied and
delicate and they pair well with lighter desserts.
Sauternes
Sauternes wines come from the Sauternais region in Bordeaux, France.
Sauternes is made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes
that have been affected by botrytis. Considered about the best dessert wine in
the world, sauternes wines tend to be expensive and vary greatly from year to
year depending on the weather. Alcohol tends to be high, up to 16 percent.
You'll notice prounounced, honey-like and toffee-like flavors in Sauternes
wines. The five communes that produce Sauternes wines are: Barsac,
Bommes, Fargues, Preignac and Sauternes itself. In addition, other regions in
France also make wines similar to Sauternes, but using different grapes:
Bonnezeaux, Cadillac (not just a car), Coteaux du Layon, Monbazillac, Sainte-
Croix-du-Mont, Quarts de Chaume and Vouvray.
Trockenbeerenauslese
Trockenbeerenauslese is German for “dry select berries.” The grapes used to
make Trockenbeerenauslese wines are hand picked after they have stayed
long enough on the vine to almost become like raisins. The sugar and acid
becomes highly contentrated during the drying process. The end result is a
wine with nectarine-like flavors that are highly sweet and very complex. Botrytis
infected, the grapes achieve 35 percent sugar before they're harvested.
Trockenbeerenauslese are often low in alcohol, usually six percent or lower.
Vin Santo
Vin Santo is produced primarily in Tuscany, Italy as well as a few other areas in
Italy. To make Vin Santo, the grapes are first dried in lofts during wintertime,
which concentrates the grape sugar and creates a raisiny flavor.
Dessert wines often go best with after-dinner foods that compliment
sweetness, rather than those comestibles, such as ice cream, that are
sweetened with added sugar. Fruit, nuts, lightly sweetened baked goods and
paté come to mind. Desserts like ice cream and treacle work better with brandy
or dry sherry. (For fortified wines, see the section entitled Port & Sherry.)
There's any number of ways to make wines sweet, but for our purposes we'll
stick to the major methods. Some grape varieties, like Muscat, are naturally
sweeter than others, but the dessert wines we'll discuss below rely on a
couple methods.
Botrytis cinerea
No, botrytis cinerea in not a venereal disease, though it is a kind of mould that
is allowed to infect grapes in order to make the end product sweeter. It's often
called the "noble rot" because the mould is responsible for producing some of
the world's best dessert wines. Botrytis dehydrates the grape while imparting
flavors like honey and apricot to wine, and also stops fermentation so that all
the sugar does not become alcohol (hence the sweetness). Typically, botrytis
forms best in humid conditions where the morning mist and dew is burned off
by afternoon sun. The rot take a while to settle in, however, so most noble rot
wines are harvested late.
Süssreserve
German for 'reserve of sweetness' Süssreserve is a technique in which
additional unfermented grape must or juice is added to the wine after it has
fermented. This increases sweetness while diluting the alcohol a bit. This
technique allows winemakers to fully ferment the wine without stopping
fermentation.
Freezing on the Vine
Used to make Eisweins ("ice wines"), this method allows, as the name
implies, late-harvest grapes to freeze on the vine before picking. (See Eiswein,
below)
Varieties of Dessert Wines
Beerenauslese
Beerenauslese wines are considered some of the world’s great dessert
wines. German for “select berries,” the name refers to the fact that
Beerenauslese wines are made from hand picked grapes that are pressed
apart from the remainder of the harvest. Grapes used to make these wines
must achieve up to 30 percent sugar before even being picked and are often
infected by botrytis, making them even sweeter. The fermentation process
stops naturally because the extreme ripeness of the grapes increases the
alcohol level to a point where the yeast dies off before all of the sugar can be
consumed, making them both potent and sweet. Highly acidic Beerenauslese
wines are well balanced and age well. And no, I have no idea how to
pronounce Beerenauslese.
Eiswein
Eiswein is simply German for “ice wine.” Eiswein is made from grapes that
have been frozen on the vine and pressed before they are allowed to thaw.
Pressing the grapes prior to thawing removes the frozen from the grape must
or juice. This concentrates sugar and acids. Like Beerenauslesew wines, the
grapes achieve up to 30 percent sugar prior to harvesting. Eisweins tend to be
lighter-bodied but balanced, and can also age well. Other cold-climate regions
also produce Eisweins, including upstate New York and Canada.
- Snob Tip: Some winemakers in non-freezing regions, like Bonny Doon
vinyards in California, flash freeze the grapes artificially. The Germans
and Canadians think this is cheating.
Champagne Doux
Doux is the French term for the top sweetness level for sparkling wine. (The
others are sec and demi-sec, in that order.) Champagne doux is after-dinner
dessert bubbly. After the secondary fermentation a dosage, or liquer d’
expedition, is added. The more sugar in the dosage the sweeter the bubbly.
(See also, Sparkling.)
Moscato d’Asti
Moscato d'Asti is a lightly sparkling (frizzante), lightly sweet variety of Muscat,
made from the Moscato Bianco (Muscato Canelli) grape of the Piedmont
region of Italy. This wine derives its sweetness not from dosing with sugar but
as a result of the fermentation process being artificially stopped. Moscato d’
Asti is made by fermenting the juice of Moscato or Muscat grapes in sealed
tanks under pressure, which prevents the natural escape of carbon dioxide
gas, giving it fizz. At a certain point during fermentation, the yeast is filtered out
and fermentation stops. Moscato d’Asti wines tend to be very light-bodied and
delicate and they pair well with lighter desserts.
Sauternes
Sauternes wines come from the Sauternais region in Bordeaux, France.
Sauternes is made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes
that have been affected by botrytis. Considered about the best dessert wine in
the world, sauternes wines tend to be expensive and vary greatly from year to
year depending on the weather. Alcohol tends to be high, up to 16 percent.
You'll notice prounounced, honey-like and toffee-like flavors in Sauternes
wines. The five communes that produce Sauternes wines are: Barsac,
Bommes, Fargues, Preignac and Sauternes itself. In addition, other regions in
France also make wines similar to Sauternes, but using different grapes:
Bonnezeaux, Cadillac (not just a car), Coteaux du Layon, Monbazillac, Sainte-
Croix-du-Mont, Quarts de Chaume and Vouvray.
- Snob Tip: The word is Sauternes, with and 'S' on the end, not Sauterne.
People think Saurternes is the plural of Sauterne. It's not. You drink one
Sauternes or two Sauternes. Doesn't matter. The confusion stems from
the fact that "Sauterne" is used by makers of usually cheap wines in the
U.S. to, well, confuse you into thinking you're buying a Sauternes, the
cheeky beggars. Anyway, the last 'S' is silent ("saw-tairn)."
Trockenbeerenauslese
Trockenbeerenauslese is German for “dry select berries.” The grapes used to
make Trockenbeerenauslese wines are hand picked after they have stayed
long enough on the vine to almost become like raisins. The sugar and acid
becomes highly contentrated during the drying process. The end result is a
wine with nectarine-like flavors that are highly sweet and very complex. Botrytis
infected, the grapes achieve 35 percent sugar before they're harvested.
Trockenbeerenauslese are often low in alcohol, usually six percent or lower.
Vin Santo
Vin Santo is produced primarily in Tuscany, Italy as well as a few other areas in
Italy. To make Vin Santo, the grapes are first dried in lofts during wintertime,
which concentrates the grape sugar and creates a raisiny flavor.
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