Desert Wines Are Oh So Sweet

You have just finished a lovely meal, satisfying really, in a chic new restaurant that just opened in your area. As you begin to replay the evening’s delicacies in your mind you are suddenly interrupted. In front of you is placed the piece de resistance, a perfectly chilled, shimmering glass of Sauterne and a thinly sliced wafer of foie gras.

For many gourmets this single course would be the showstopper, the best of the entire evening. It perfectly embodies the play of sweet and savory that works so well with a dessert wine and a meat.

Dessert wines are an essential niche of the wine making industry but they are not as common as the reds, the whites, and the sparkling wines. And, they go by several different names. In England they are sometimes termed pudding wines and in Australia a dessert wine may be called a stickie.

A Wine By Any Other Name

As there is no single name for a dessert wine, there is no single definition for dessert wines. There are several differing theories on what is and is not a dessert wine depending on where you are in the world. England seems to have the most complicated rules for determining a dessert wine’s status.

To qualify a wine must be sweet but must not be a white fortified sherry drunk before a meal or a red fortified port or Madeira drunk after a meal. A dessert wine in England can only be consumed during the meal.

In the United States the terms are more understandable but more rigid. There is a legal definition for dessert wine which states that any wine with more than 14 percent alcohol by volume is a desert wine.

Dessert wines are known for their high levels of sugar and their sweet taste. There are several different
ways winemakers add sugar during the winemaking process. Some choose to harvest grapes with high sugar content so the sugar is added to the mix naturally. Others choose to add sweetness to their mixture after crushing but before fermentation.

Sussreserve

In Germany dessert wines are submitted to a unique process that is hundreds of years old called Sussreserve. After a wine has completely fermented, must or grape juice, is added. This adds a measure of sweetness to the mixture and lowers the final alcohol content.

There are several reasons for the success of Sussreserve. First and foremost it produces an excellent and smooth dessert wine. It also dilutes the wine to acceptable German standards, no more than 15 percent alcohol by volume. For the winemaker the fermenting process is less complicated because he does not have to stop the process before all the sugars are gone. The success of Sussreserve has made the technique popular in New Zealand and other parts of the world.

Fortified wines are created when the winemaker adds brandy before all the natural sugars in the grapes have fermentated. The vintner’s term for intermingling different wines is mutage. Fortified wines include sweet Sherries such as Pedro Ximenez and Bristol Cream.

A Perfect Pair

A general rule in world of wine and food is that the wine you drink must never be sweeter than the food you eat. This can sometimes be difficult depending on the pairings or tasting menu you are offered. And, there are times, such as with the foie gras and Sauternes that you will gladly throw tradition to the wind.

The perfect pairing, says traditional wine lore, is a juicy and ripe peach with any dessert wine. The soft flesh of the peach is both sweet and tart, and excellent foil for the sweetness of the dessert wine. In Italy a traditional dessert pairs bitter almond cookies with a classic dessert wine, Vin Santo. The cookies are served on a plate around the wine glass for dipping in the wine.

As with all wines it is important to choose your own favorites. Purchase several recommended bottles and try pairing them at home with different foods. Bon Appétit!