Dessert Wines 101
So much for those resolutions to eat better, work out more and lose weight. Why? - because the lovely ladies and gents of The Enthusiasts! an NYC Wine Tasting Club have chosen a truly decadent topic for this month's tasting - Dessert Wines!
Photo Source. Creme Brulee is by far my favorite dessert!
Personally, when it comes to dessert wines - I am typically NOT a fan. Seems weird, I love dessert and have a serious sweet tooth. My first experience with sweet wines was an Eiswein tasting in Heidelberg, Germany. Then, (age the grand old age of 18) I remember thinking the wine was sweet but delicious. However, a few years later, at a food and pairing event (where I had a white dessert wine paired with cheesecake) I was turned off to dessert wines because the pairing was way too sweet. And last month, when I sampled the Lacrima Dolce from Penns Woods Winery, my appreciation for dessert wines was revived! I am officially a fan!
Full disclosure: I work in the tasting room at Penns Woods Winery (and it's kind of the best job ever!). But, I aim to be upfront about my affiliations and remain unbiased when discussing wines I have tasted here (fun fact - it's actually the law). All disclosures aside, the Lacrima Dolce really did change my perspective on wine - it's merlot based and has ripe cherry flavors with a chocolate and cinnamon finish. I would have gladly had just that wine as the perfect finish to any meal. So even, if you're not the biggest fan of dessert wines you will keep tasting and maybe there will be a game changer for you out there!
Now before you rush to the store to pick up a few bottles of sweet wine, it is important to understand the different types: late harvest, noble rot wines, raisin wines, and fortified wines.
Late Harvest Wines. Typically, when wine is made, the majority of the natural sugar found in the grapes is consumed by the yeast during fermentation and yields the production of alcohol. So it actually takes a bit of effort to reach the increased sugar levels found in most dessert wines. When reading about dessert wines you may see the term chaptalization**, or the process of adding sugar before fermentation. Many winemakers today consider this cheating and it is an unpopular winemaking technique, especially among higher end producers. Thus, some sweeter wines are made from "late harvest" grapes, or grapes left on the vine as long as possible to increase their natural sugar content. This style of wine is commonly made in Germany, Austria and the Alsace region of France with Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Muscat and Chenin Blanc grapes. Be sure to check the label, for "late harvest," vendange tardive (French: "late harvest"), spätlese (German: "late harvest") or auslese ("select harvest," even later) - these are the sweeter styles.
Photo Source. Ew, noble rot!
Noble Rot Wines. Or 'botrytis cinerea' (if we want to get super nerdy), is a beneficial form of fungus that concentrates the sugar content of the grapes. This process is typically used with white grapes because red grapes become too unstable under noble rot. Also, be prepared to pay more for these sweet styles because this process is very expensive - many of the grapes are unusable so it takes many more grapes per bottle. Some of the best examples are made in Sauternes, Barsac from Bordeaux and Centraol Loire Valley. In Germany, look for "beerenauslese and trockenbeerenauslese" or even look to Hungary. The grapes used in each region vary.
Raisin Wines and Eiswein. Both of these styles involve a process that dehydrates the grapes resulting in wines with high residual sugar. Making wine from raisins is actually one of the oldest methods of making sweet wines. Similarly, eiswein is made from grapes that are exposed to cold temperatures and frozen.
Fortified Wines. This is the process of adding alcohol during the winemaking process, either during fermentation or after fermentation has been completed. Common styles include: Port, (made in Douro, Portugal) which is infused with brandy-like yeast or Sherry, (made in Jerez, Spain) which isn't necessarily a sweet style, and even vermouth.
Regardless of what method is used, expect to pay a bit more for quality dessert wines. It may seem like a splurge, given the smaller size of the bottles, but you are paying for the the extra production costs. If you are looking for values, check out wine made from Moscato or "Late Harvest" Riesling as these styles have higher residual sugars.
Cheers!
**Correction, this term was previously misspelled as "chapitalization" and has since been corrected.