Dessert Wine

Dessert wines are sweet wines served with or instead of dessert. In the United States a dessert wine is legally defined as any wine over 14%, alcohol (the alcohol level of table wine). That would include fortified wines, such as sherry and port, and would exclude dessert wines made with lower levels of alcohol. All that being said, the typical understanding of a desert wine is one made by either freezing or rotting the grapes.

In cold climates, grapes can be left on the vine until the temperature falls below 19º. At that temperature, much of the water freezes out of the grapes, leaving the sugar and other solids behind. Pressing the grapes while they are frozen produces a very concentrated juice that results in very sweet wines. The most famous ice wines are German Eiswein and Canadian ice wine, but ice wines are also made in the United States, Australia, France and other countries.

Sauternes, one of the most famous dessert wines in the world, is made from moldy grapes; specifically grapes infested with the botrytis cinerea fungus. Botrytis cinerea, the French euphemistically call it the noble rot, sucks the water out of the grapes and leaves behind the sugar. It also introduces the flavors of apricots and honey to the grapes. Besides Sauternes, noble rot is responsible for the German Beerenauslese (BA) and Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) classification of wines as well as wines from many other countries (see the Cellar Notes section of www.lifeisacabernet.net/rieslingwine.html for more on BA and TBA wines). A quick word of warning. Do not confuse Sauternes with Sauterne. Sauterne (without the final “s”) is an intentional misspelling of the name of the French wine, Sauternes. Sauterne is typically a low-quality wine, completely unlike Sauternes.

It takes time for the botrytis cinerea to do its thing, so noble-rot wines are usually harvested late in the season. It is for this reason that you will often hear sweet wines referred to as late-harvest wines. Ice wines are also sometimes referred to as late harvest since in many climates the grapes have to be left on the vines waiting for a freeze to occur.. The first noble rot and ice wines were probably created by accident. A harvest is delayed, mold forms on the grapes or the grapes freeze, the grapes are used anyway and viola, they found themselves with a delicious sweet wine. Unfortunately, the yield from frozen and noble-rot grapes is small, so dessert wines of these types are relative expensive.

When serving a desert wine, the general rule is that the wine should be sweeter than the food it is served with. If the food is sweeter than the wine, the wine may taste bitter. A good dessert wine can be a dessert in itself, so don’t hesitate to serve a good dessert wine to your guests as the only dessert. If you want to pair a dessert wine with a dessert, bakery sweets, like almond biscuits make a good match, as do poached pairs, sweet melons like honeydew, fruits such as apples, cherries, peaches, etc. or tart desserts made from these fruits. Beyond dessert, sweet wines also pair well with some savory dishes, like foie gras and pates that are traditional paired with Sauternes. I sometimes enjoy a dessert wine as an aperitif, but not everyone would. There are both red and white dessert wines. White dessert wines are generally served chilled, but not too cold. Red dessert wines are served only slightly chilled. Since dessert wines are intensely sweet, they are typically served in very small quantities (two ounces or less) and usually in an aperitif-style glass.