From the early modern period in Europe through the Age of Reason, the favored wines of courts and kings were sweet. Sugar was an important preservative in an era before the dawn of fast transit, and lush, luxuri- ous liquids like Tokaji, sweet German Riesling, and Sauternes may have recalled an earlier era, when sugar was an exotic, expensive spice.
Today, dessert wines are an afterthought. Sugar is no longer an exotic temptation; it’s a guilty indulgence. The taste of sweetness is everywhere. Restaurant guests “couldn’t possibly”; dessert menus go unread, and those back pages of the wine list remain buried. Dessert wine sales are harder than ever to make and often require active suggestion from the server or sommelier.
Quality dessert wines are among the most time- and cost-intensive wines to make. The efort required to produce sweet wines for a diminishing audience makes them real labors of love for winemakers. Yet we are programmed to love the taste of sugar! We talk dry—but drink sweet! Tasting great sweet wines is a trans- porting experience; the best are among the world’s most cellar-worthy and complex beverages. They often last a few days longer than dry wines once opened. And they raise check averages. Sweet! How are Sweet Wines Made?
Ripe grapes contain a lot of sugar! All wines therefore have the potential to be sweet, but most are vinifed to near or complete dryness. If a winemaker wants to make a sweet wine, he/she has two options in fermentation:
1. Stop Fermentation while the must still contains signifcant residual sugar. 2. Add sugar back after the wine has fermented to dryness.
Most classic sweet wines of the world follow the frst path, in which the winemaker halts fermentation through some means. Depending on wine style, the main options are:
1. The wine is fortifed with high-proof spirit, which immediately halts yeast activity and preserves natural sugar. 2. The wine is chilled to a temperature at which yeast activity ceases, and is then fltered to remove yeasts, preserving natural sugar. 3. The wine is chilled to a temperature at which yeast activity ceases, and the winemaker adds
SO2, an antimicrobial agent, to eliminate the possibility of re-fermentation. This is often done in conjunction with option #2.
2 Preserving Sweetness by Concentrating Sugar
The world’s greatest unfortifed dessert wines result from an increase in natural sugar content through dehydration and/or prolonged ripening. Such techniques allow winemakers to preserve intense sweet- ness while still attaining reasonably high degrees of alcohol during fermentation. And while prolong- ing ripening reduces acidity, concentration through some means of dehydration actually increases the wine’s fnal acidity, relative to the diminished level of water remaining in the grape. Of course, all forms of concentration inevitably invite risk and lower fnal yields, raising prices.
1. Late-Harvested Grapes: The simplest technique of concentrating sugars is simply to leave the grapes on the vine! Many dessert wines are the product of late-harvested grapes. Grapes that hang on the vine may become subject to natural dehydration or botrytis, or they may remain pure.
2. Dried Grapes: Most European cultures maintain some tradition of partially drying grapes after harvest, shriveling berries prior to fermentation. This ancient tradition is strongest today in Italy, where it is responsible for passito and recioto styles throughout the country.
3. Botrytis-Afected Grapes: In humid climates, grapes destined for sweet wines may be attacked by a benefcial mold, Botrytis cinerea, which dehydrates the grape and concentrates sugars. (In some “New World” areas it is not uncommon for producers to inoculate their fruit with botrytis spores if the fungus does not develop naturally.)
4. Frozen Grapes: Grapes are literally frozen, on or of the vine, to decrease water content and increase sugar and other soluble solids.
Botrytis-afected Pinot Gris cluster in Alsace. Vidal grapes.
3 Structure in Sweet Wines
Sweetness is clearly the most important structural feature in sweet wines, but the actual amount of sugar in dessert wines can vary greatly!
The amount of residual sugar in wine is typically documented in one of two ways: in grams per liter of liquid or as a percentage of weight to volume. The conversion is pretty easy: 1 gram/liter of residual sugar equals 0.1%. Dry wines typically have less than 4 g/l (0.4%) of residual sugar. Of-dry wines generally have less than 20 g/l (2%), while many dessert wines have 100 g/l (10%) of residual sugar or more. Exceptional- ly sweet, ambrosial examples can reach 350 g/l (35%) or higher. More residual sugar certainly makes the wine sweeter, but it also impacts weight and mouthfeel, making the wine feel denser, heavier, and full-bodied.
In this guide, dessert wines are categorized as: • Medium Sweet: 60-125 g/l • Sweet: 125-175 g/l • Luscious: 175 g/l or more
Acidity is an important balancing agent in sweet wines. Higher acidity keeps sweet wines from feeling cloying and syrupy by giving them freshness and life. 20 g/l of residual sugar in a low-acid white wine can feel ponderous, clumpy and docile, while the same level of residual sugar in a high-acid white like Riesling may produce a fresher, fruitier wine. The world’s best dessert wines are invariably those with high levels of acidity. In fact, the world’s best sugary drinks are usually pretty high in acid—think of the pleasant tartness of good lemonade or the bite of cola.
Alcohol in sweet wines can range from 5% in light semi-sparkling Moscato d’Asti wines to 19% or higher in fortifed wines like Port and Madeira. Alcohol contributes body and power to the wine, and its presence or lack thereof can be a defning feature. A low-alcohol, light-bodied dessert wine provides a stimulating, spritely refresher at the end of the meal, while a high-alcohol wine can be contemplative and profound. Remember, however, that the sweetest unfortifed, weightiest wines in the world can be very low in alco- hol—the concentration of sugar in the wine adds body in its place.
Many dessert wines are the product of white grapes, but not all. Tannin can be a factor in wines like young vintage Port or red passito wines, although sweetness helps to mitigate the astringency of tannin.
4 Color in Sweet Wines
If you don’t know anything else about a sweet wine at hand, color alone is a great clue to style. Amber and tawny tones in a wine signify a deeply oxidative wine that likely spent a long time in a cask, or even longer in a bottle. Whether it was produced from red or white grapes, it’s now framed by the oxidative favor spectrum: nuts, maple, curry, tofee, and caramel. Bright golden wines without a hint of browning are likely younger late harvest and/or botrytis-afected wines, with attendant favors of fruit, honey and fowers. Vibrant red and purple sweet wines are similarly youthful and more intensely fruity and aromatic than their tawny, faded, more complex cousins. Dark brown, nearly opaque wines are usually produced from dried grapes and often fortifed to boot—these are among the sweetest you will encounter! In a pinch, color can give a basic sense of favor.
5 Late Harvest & Botrytis
Late Harvest Wines
In Europe and the New World, harvesting fruit late in the season allows a winemaker to produce rich, often aromatic wines of varying degrees of sweetness. In New World coun- tries, one can assume wines labeled “late harvest” will be sweet in style, but this is not necessarily the case in Europe. Wines labeled “Vendange Tardive” in Alsace and “Spätlese” in Germany—both literally mean late harvest—may actually be dry or of-dry in style, even if they are commonly produced as sweeter wines. True dessert wines in Europe often combine late harvests with another technique of concentration. In fact, some of the world’s greatest botrytis and dried grape wines, like German TBA and Italian Recioto della Valpolicella, are harvested before dry wines produced in the same regions!
Botrytis Wines
At one point in history, someone had to do the courageous thing and try that bit of cheese riddled with veins of blue, or that weird-looking mushroom in the woods. Similar- ly, some brave soul (or worried accountant) decided to make a wine from furry, mold-crusted grapes on the vine. And voilà! One of the world’s great dessert wines styles was born.
To make a botrytis-style dessert wine, one must allow a mold, the “noble rot” of Botrytis cinerea, to develop on the skin of grapes shortly before harvest. The capricious rot, which attacks individual grapes rather than whole bunches, dehydrates them. As the grapes lose water the relative amounts of sugar, certain acids, and mouthfeel-giving glycerol are increased. When aficted berries are fermented, the result is a lushly sweet, concentrated, and golden nectar, often perfumed with the scent of safron, ginger, and honey. But it is an expensive and laborious process; true botrytis wines can be amongst the world’s most expensive bottlings.
6 Sauternes
The small appellation of Sauternes in Bordeaux is home to some of the world’s greatest botrytis wines, produced from Sémillon, Sauvi- Typical ABV: gnon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes. Sauternes lies at the confux of the Ciron and Garonne Rivers, where humid autumns provide a 12.5-14.5% perfect incubator for noble rot, and the region’s famous châteaux keep picking teams on hand to make multiple passes through their Typical Residual Sugar: vineyards, plucking only botrytis-afected grapes. Sweet
Most top Sauternes wines, like red Bordeaux wines, are aged in Similar Wines: signifcant amounts of new oak. Flavors of vanilla and toast mingle Barsac, Cérons, Jurançon with botrytis aromas of ginger and honey, and the wines are golden in color with lush, tropical and stone fruit characteristics.
Tokaj
The legendary sweet wines of Tokaj are Hungary’s most famous viticultural products. (Tokaj is the place; Tokaji is the wine. “Tokay” is Typical ABV: the Anglicized spelling.) Sipped in royal courts throughout Europe and treasured by the tsars of Russia, the botrytis wines of Tokaj frst 12-14% appeared in the 1600s, predating both Sauternes and the botry- tis-afected wines of Germany. Tokaj sufered a decline under the Typical Residual Sugar: Iron Curtain, but the region’s wines have rebounded since the fall of Sweet to Lusciously communism in 1990 to recapture their position among Europe’s Sweet best. Similar Wines: The most important grape in the production of Tokaji is Furmint, a Austrian Ausbruch white variety that has grown in the region for centuries. The produc- tion process in Tokaj has evolved diferently than in Sauternes: For the classic sweet wines of Tokaj, producers mix batches of botrytis-afected, syrupy grape must known as aszú with dry base wines to create the fnal product. Historically, these wines have been labeled by 3-6 puttonyos to indicate increasing levels of sweetness. (A puttony is a traditional container for aszú grapes.) Unlike Sauternes, Tokaj wines are usually aged in used oak barrels rather than new wood, and traditional Tokaji is more dramatically oxidative in youth. There are a number of Tokaj wine styles today, including dry wines and non-aszú “late harvest” selections produced from clean fruit, but the region’s historical fame rests on its sweet aszú wines.
7 German BA and TBA
German lore dates the country’s frst botrytis wine to 1775. Accord- ing to legend, an absentee owner of Schloss Johannisberg in the Typical ABV: Rheingau region sent a messenger to inform his crews to com- 5.5-7% mence picking, but the message was delayed. The late message led to a late harvest—literally, Spätlese—and botrytis attacked in the interim. The wine was surprisingly good, and over time the Typical Residual Sugar: Germans developed evenly more intensely sweet styles: Auslese, Sweet (BA) to Lusciously Beerenauslese (BA), and Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA). The names get Sweet (TBA) increasingly daunting as the ripeness and residual sugar rises, but the Germans mean exactly what they say: Similar Wines: Alsatian Sélection de • Auslese: Selected harvest Grains Nobles Riesling, • Beerenauslese: Selected berry harvest Austrian TBA • Trockenbeerenauslese: Selected dried berry harvest
Today, Spätlese and Auslese are both late-harvested wines that can range from dry to medium sweet, and they may or may not be the product of botrytis-afected fruit. (If dry, they are usually labeled trock- en.) Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese, on the other hand, are always sweet wines; BA is typically produced from botrytis fruit and TBA always is—fruit destined for TBA is so sweet and concentrated at harvest it may take over a year to ferment to 6-7% alcohol. Rarely is new oak employed in the production of BA or TBA styles.
In Germany, most top BA and TBA wines are produced from Riesling grapes, and the best examples are usually produced in either the Mosel or the Rheingau. In Eastern Austria one fnds similar wines grown near the shores of Lake Neusiedl, produced from Riesling, Scheurebe, and even the occasional red variety like Zweigelt. Austrian examples tend to have higher levels of alcohol.
8 Alsace and Loire Valley Botrytis Wines
Chenin Blanc in France’s Loire River Valley is an easy target for botrytis, and there are several classic appellations for sweet wines. Quarts du Chaume produces the most profound dessert wines; as in Sauternes, law in the small appellation requires growers to send pickers on several trips through the vineyard to capture botrytis-afected fruit. The resultant wines are apricot- and honey-scented, with more alcohol than German BA or TBA but a little less weight and body than Sauternes. They are usually sweet rather than lusciously sweet. The neighboring appellation of Bonnezeaux produces a very similar dessert wine, while the surrounding Coteaux du Layon produces a lighter, typically semisweet Chenin Blanc. The well-known Vouvray makes demi-sec (of-dry) and moelleux (semisweet) styles as well. Both can be splendid wines with some botrytis character, but they do not reach the level of concentration achieved by Quarts du Chaume.
In Alsace, botrytis dessert wines are produced only from single varieties, and they are typically labeled as sélection de grains nobles (noble berry selection). Among these rarities, Riesling and Pinot Gris are the most often encountered.
9 Dried Grape Wines
Making wine with raisined grapes is an old trick! The technique was practiced and perfected 3,000 years ago by ancient Greeks, then passed along to the Romans. Ancient winemakers likely raisined fruit on the vine, by twisting stalks to reduce the movement of moisture and sap to the berry. Nowadays winemak- ers are more likely to dry clusters after harvest. In this case, the fruit is usually harvested early rather than late, when acids are still high—the drying process will take care of the sugar content. But they must remain vigilant to keep the fruit from rotting! In Italy, where the technique remains vital to dozens of wine styles, one can see it all: rugged traditionalists laying fruit out after harvest in well-ventilated rooms, praying airfow keeps mold from setting in; fervently natural winemakers hanging fruit like curtains from the rafters, with an electric fan or two propped up; and ardent modernists, controlling clinically clean, futuristic drying rooms remotely from a computer screen. In Southern Italy, Southern Spain and Greece’s isle of Santorini, winemakers are more likely to dry grapes outside rather than indoors, under the punishing Mediterranean sun. Italian Passito Styles
Italian passito wines usually result from grapes dried indoors for a period of 1-2 months after harvest, according to the requirements of individual appellations. The wines are (almost) always sweet and can be produced from a variety of white and red grapes. Stylistically, they are all over the map: There are highly aromatic red passito wines made from Aleatico and red Moscato; there is caramel-colored Vin Santo, the “holy wine” of Tuscany typically produced from Trebbiano and Malvasia; of the coast of Morocco is the sun-baked island of Pantelleria and its fg-favored, sun-dried passito wines; and in Veneto are the famous red and white recioto styles of Valpolicella and Soave. Overall, however, these wines are basically categorized as follows: red or white; and fresh, fruity, and primary or oxidative, caramelized, and complex.
Typical ABV: 11-14%
Typical Residual Sugar: Sweet to Lusciously Sweet
Similar Wines: French vin de paille, Austrian strohwein, Santorini vinsanto
10 Icewine/Eiswein
Unlike botrytis wines, in which winemakers pray for noble rot to permeate their vineyards, icewine fruit remain totally clean and unblemished into the early winter. Icewine—Eiswein in Germany—is harvested at night in late November, December or January, when the fruit is partially frozen. Under bitterly cold tem- peratures, the grapes are quickly crushed and pressed when the liquid content is still icy slush. Much like the concentrating efect of botrytis, this technique reduces the relative amount of water in the must, allowing the winemaker to produce a sweet, decadent wine—but without the favor-changing impact of botrytis. Here, the wines emphasize pure varietal fruit and character. Two countries specialize in icewine production: Germany and Canada.
Some producers make this style of wine through artifcial means, such as cryoextraction, in which the grapes are frozen after harvest. Such techniques are banned for true icewines in Canada and Germany.
German Eiswein
German Eiswein is rare and often frighteningly expensive. It’s only made in select vintages and in minute quantities. Legend credits the Typical ABV: frst Eiswein, like the frst Spätlese, to Schloss Johannisberg in the 6-9% Rheingau. The inaugural vintage was produced in 1858, but the style did not become widespread until the middle of the 20th centu- Typical Residual Sugar: ry. German wine law ofcially approved the category in 1982, requir- Sweet to Lusciously ing winemakers to pick Eiswein at a level of ripeness equivalent to Beerenauslese. With its naturally high acidity, Riesling is the natural Sweet choice for Eiswein. Canadian Icewine
In 1984, Inniskillin harvested the frst Canadian icewine to be sold commercially. The style has since become emblematic for a coun- Typical ABV: try whose southern border traces the 49th parallel, a line of latitude 9-12% beyond which the climate quickly turns too cold for viticulture. The Niagara Peninsula in Ontario is at the heart of Canadian icewine Typical Residual Sugar: production; provincial law requires the icewine harvest to occur in Sweet to Lusciously temperatures of -8° C or below. Riesling and Vidal Blanc, a hybrid grape highly suited to cold climates, are the most common varieties Sweet for icewine production in Canada.
11 Fortified Wines
The sun never set on the British Empire, and sweet fortifed wines nourished Englishmen the world over. From the 1700s onward, Port and Sherry both experienced great popularity in Great Britain, and from their places of origin in Portugal and Spain the British shipped these wines to the ends of the earth. Forti- fed wines, in which fermentation is arrested by the addition of high-proof grape spirit, could withstand the rigors of ocean travel and were highly regarded for their potency and longevity. Winemakers may add spirit to the must before, during, or after fermentation. The spirit kills any remaining yeast in the tank, and fermentation ceases. In this way, the winemaker can control the level of natural grape sugars remaining in the wine. With the exception of Sherry, most fortifed wines have signifcant residual sugar and are appropriate after dinner, with or without dessert.
12 Port
After English traders discovered the fortifed wines of Portugal’s Douro Valley in the late 17th century, the wine became an instant hit back home. The British immediately took ownership of the Port trade and Port production, setting up Port lodges under names like Churchill’s, Warre’s and Croft, near the mouth of the Douro River in the seaside town of Oporto. Port became the beverage of statesman and commoner alike in Great Britain, and British frms still steer much of the Port trade. Port is a sweet wine typically made from a blend of red grapes sourced from steep, terraced vineyards along the Douro River. Top varieties include Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), and Touriga Francesa. Traditionally, Port grapes are foot-trodden and allowed to macerate and ferment for a few short days prior to fortifcation with aguardente, the grape spirit. After fermentation and fortifcation, the length and type of aging the wine undergoes is vital to understanding the style of Port. To achieve complexity and consistency, most wines are blends of several years’ harvests.
Some basic Port wines are aged for only a short period of time (generally 2- 3 years) in oak, cement, or stainless steel prior to bottling. These wines are known as Ruby Port; they are deeply colored, uncomplicated, fruity, and warming. They are a great introduction to a Port producer’s overall style
Reserve Tawny Port wines spend at least seven years in used casks. These are often labeled by age (10 Year Old, 20 Year Old, etc.) and are mellower, nuttier, and smoother than Ruby Ports. Remember, these are non-vintage blends: The indicated age is an approximation of character rather than a precise indication of age. The older the indicated age, the more amber-hued the wine will appear. Vintage Tawny Port, known as colheita, is also produced. Older colheita Tawny Port does not throw sediment as it is typically bottled not long before sale.
True Vintage Port is aged for a much shorter time in oak. These wines, the product of the best vineyards and the best grapes, are not made in every vintage and they represent the most expensive ofering of a Port Typical ABV: house. Unlike Ruby or Tawny Port, Vintage Port is designed for the cellar, 19-21% and top quality examples will improve over decades—they are massively rich and chewy in youth, and silky and seamless with age. Mature Vintage Typical Residual Sugar: Port throws a lot of sediment and will always need to be decanted before Medium Sweet service.
Two other types of Port carry a vintage date: Late-Bottled Vintage Port Similar Wines: and Single Quinta Port. Late-Bottled Vintage Port (LBV) is made from French vin doux naturel Port aged in cask from four to six years—not enough to become a true (Banyuls, Maury) Tawny, but still more rounded and oxidative than a basic Ruby Port. Single Quinta Port is a vintage product from a single estate vineyard (quinta), and can near true Vintage Port in quality.
13 Madeira
Madeira, like Port, is one of the great fortifed wines of Portugal—but the two regions produce very difer- ent wines.
Madeira is a mountainous island 700 km of the coast of Morocco, possessed by Portugal since its discov- ery and settlement in the early 15th century. Bananas, grapes, and passion fruits grow equally well in its rich volcanic soils and warm subtropical climate. The island was a point of embarkation for ships headed to the European colonies in the New World, and the character of Madeira wine has evolved along lengthy ocean voyages. Air and heat, those traditional enemies of wine, sculpted the character of the wine as it crossed the Atlantic in casks, bound for colonial markets. Modern Madeira producers approximate the efects of tropical heat and oxidation by subjecting Madeira wines to 113-122° F heat in an estufa tank for a short period of three months, or by allowing the wines to mature slowly in cask for many years in the island’s warm ambient temperatures. The island’s best wines are produced by the second method, a more costly endeavor. Madeira is actually produced across a range of sweetness levels, from nearly dry to very sweet. The timing of fortifcation—and the amount of unfermented residual sugar left in the must—determines the fnal sweetness level of the wine. Those labeled Medium Rich/Medium Sweet and Rich/Sweet are the most appropriate for dessert. Dry and Medium Dry wines are generally better at the beginning of a meal. Of course, all Madeira fortifed wines contain some residual sugar, but their uniformly high acidity easily masks low levels of sweetness. This incredible acidity is a hallmark and defning characteristic of Madeira wines.
Typical ABV: 17-22%
Typical Residual Sugar: Medium Dry to Medium Sweet
Similar Wines: none
14 Madeira
Wines that are labeled with a sweetness description rather than a variety are produced from a common red grape, Tinta Negra, and they are generally heated in estufas and aged for a shorter period in cask—a minimum of three years is required by law. Varietal wines, on the other hand, are always subjected to the island’s natural warmth and aged for many more years in old casks. Like Port, they are often blends of vintages with an indication of general age—10 Year Old, 15 Year Old—but some vintage wines are produced. Colheita vintage wines spend at least fve years in cask, while the famed Frasqueira vintage bottlings spend at least two decades in old oak barrels and casks, if not more. Frasqueira Madeira is one of the best opportunities for guests to try incredibly old wines—they can last for centuries!
Conveniently, the varieties’ names correspond with their expected level of sweetness. The four main varietal wines are Sercial (dry), Verdelho (medium dry), Boal/Bual (medium rich/medium sweet), and Malvasia/Malmsey (rich/sweet).
Sercial and Verdelho, like other drier styles of Madeira, are best as aperitifs, savory pairings, or hot Savan- nah nights. Boal and Malvasia, Anglicized as “Malmsey,” are perfect with cheeses, desserts, and quiet mid-winter evenings alone in drafty old castles.
Some advice from Blandy's Wine Lodge.
15 Other Fortified Wines
Portugal is justly famous for Port and Madeira, but other sweet fortifed wines are produced in various corners of the world. The technique of fortifcation dates to the 13th century in Roussillon, and the south- ern French region maintains a tradition of producing vin doux naturel (“naturally sweet” wines) to this day. Grenache grapes are fortifed in the appellations of Banyuls, Rivesaltes, and Maury, and in the Southern Rhône Valley producers fortify Muscat for Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise.
As Spain’s Sherry regains popularity, the dry styles (Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Oloroso) are at the forefront, but there are the Cream and Pale Cream styles, to which a sweetening agent is added after fortifcation, and the intensely, lusciously sweet dried grape wines produced from Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel. Pedro Ximénez wines, from Sherry or the neighboring Montilla-Moriles, can often handle even cloyingly sweet desserts. The Sicilian appellation of Marsala still produces a handful of fortifed wines intended for the table rather than the pan, in drier and sweeter styles. Australia also has a rich tradi- tion of producing fortifed wines. Victoria’s Rutherglen region is one of the last bastions of fortifed dessert wines in the country today—fortifed Muscat, made from a red-skinned variety of the aromatic grape—can be the world’s sweetest fortifed wine. The best examples are blends of vintages, aged in barrel for twenty years or more, appearing dark amber in the glass. Some Californian producers maintain a tradition of fortifed dessert wine production too, often in the image of Port.
16 Sparkling Dessert Wines
Bubbles are a great beginning and end to an evening! The favored style of Champagne and other tradi- tional method sparkling wines has veered from sweet to very dry in modern times. However, there are numerous other sweet sparkling wines available to close out a meal.
Most traditional method sparkling wines, like Champagne, Franciacorta and Cava, receive a small dosage of sugar at bottling, but they are rarely dessert sweet. True doux Champagne, with at least 50 grams per liter of residual sugar, is hardly ever commercially produced. Demi-sec traditional method sparkling wines, with 32-50 grams per liter of residual sugar, are more common and can be appropriate with lightly sweet desserts. But if a sparkling wine seems like the perfect conclusion, there are other options:
• Moscato d’Asti: From Piemonte in northern Italy, this slightly sparkling, sweet, intensely aromatic wine is very low in alcohol and makes a lovely accompaniment to sorbets, fresh fruit, and other light desserts.
• Brachetto d’Acqui: Another Piemontese product, this sweet red wine can be sparkling or still. The latter version is produced from dried grapes.
• Bugey-Cerdon: Delicious, soft, semi-sweet, strawberry-scented and light red in color, this French sparkling wine can be great throughout a meal.
Keep in mind that sparking wines, with pronounced efervescence and high acidity, can mask sweet- ness more easily than most still wines.
17 Selling Dessert Wines
Dessert wines rarely sell themselves! And the opportunity to sell a glass of dessert wine is often in the hands of the server rather than the dedicated sommelier. So how can a restaurant promote dessert wine sales? We turned to John Ragan MS, Wine Director for NYC’s Union Square Hospitality Group, for his perspective:
Dessert wine will always be an impulse buy—no one walks into a restau- “ rant and says, “I've been thinking about a glass of Muscat all day!” With this in mind, you have got to keep it easy for guests who are having a great time to say, “Why not?” Most of our restaurants price dessert wines and desserts the same—we fnd it’s much easier to sell three glasses at $9 than one at $27.
From the sommelier’s perspective, the dessert wines that will sell best are the ones that create a really great pairing—a pairing the service team has actually experienced, a combination that makes the dish even more dynamic. Too often somms spend weeks fnding the perfect wine for the squab but then throw out random ideas for dessert. A truly great pairing with dessert is not easy, but once you have one and the team feels conf- dent it is a great way for them to add something to the experience. ” With the right price points and the right pairings, a good server has the tools to add a last layer to the food and wine experience. Dessert wines are usually made in minute quantities, they are richly endowed with backstory and legend, and they convey a feeling of luxury quite unlike any other liquid. They are the ultimate “story wines” and will reward guests seeking an experience rather than just a meal. Review Questions
1. What primary grape is used in the production of Tokaj wines? 2. What country produces Malmsey Madeira? 3. What is botrytis? 4. Name a semi-sparkling Italian wine style appropriate for a light fruit dessert. 5. Contrast the production methods for Ruby and Reserve Tawny Port. 6. Name an area in Australia famous for fortifed Muscat. 18