At times in the past sweet wines have not always had a very good reputation. Traditionally, sweet wines are often accompanied by dessert and not taken as seriously as other styles but this is often to the detriment of those that ignore this style.
Sweet wines are often misunderstood, it is well worth trying sweet wine and discovering the different tastes as you may be surprised. Almost all wine regions in the world produce some high quality sweet wine, in addition to this sweet wine has a long history dating back almost to the beginning of wine making.
Types of Sweet Wine
There are different ways of producing sweet wines. Fortification is one of the most common; this involves adding neutral spirits such as brandy during the fermentation process. This arrests the fermentation process, which increases the level of residual sugar and greatly increases the alcohol content. Possibly the most well known fortified sweet wine is Port. This wine originates from the Douro Valley in Portugal and has become famous throughout the world.
Another way of making sweet wine is through Botrytis or noble rot. Although this is viewed as disastrous when making dry wine, it is extremely beneficial when trying to produce sweet. Noble rot attacks the healthy grapes but when used properly it can greatly improve the taste of sweet wine. The famous Sauternes is produced in this way. Sweet wines produced in this way are notoriously difficult to harvest. Of the grapes attacked by Botrytis, some will be fully rotted whilst others will not. This means that a wine maker wishing to make the best sweet wines will need to pick the grapes many times and very carefully to ensure only the right grapes are collected.
Another method termed the ‘Late Harvest’ method involves picking the grapes late in the year when they are ripe. They are often left to shrivel in the heat of the sun, this produces fruity, sticky sweet wines. This is an ancient method that is used in many wine producing regions including Alsace, Australia and South Africa.
Ice wine is another method or Eiswein as it is most commonly used in Germany. This involves freezing grapes meaning the sweetness is concentrated; the grapes are often not harvested until December, sometimes as late as January. This is often a very risky strategy as rot or birds may damage the grapes, in addition a Winter with little frosts could produce extremely low quality wine. Making sweet wine is not easy; it often involves difficult processes that are not acknowledged by the wine drinking public as a whole.
Food To Pair Sweet Wine With
Although sweet wines have traditionally accompanied desserts, they also complement many main dishes. Salty food when combined with a sweet wine makes a delicious contrast. Chinese dishes work very well with sweet wines.
It can be a great accompaniment to dishes such as pate and even fish. Try not to stick rigidly to wine clichés, remove your prejudices about sweet wine and try it with many types of meal and see what works well. Sweet wine is very versatile, if you do want to pair sweet wine with a dessert make sure it is richer and sweeter than the pudding.
Types Of Grapes Used In Sweet Wine
Sweet wine is made from a variety of different grapes; most of the most common grapes are used to create delicious sweet wines. Semillon is one of the most common grape varieties used in sweet wine. It is used in one of the most common sweet wines, Sauternes. The popular Chardonnay grape is also used in sweet wine as is Riesling and many other big name grapes.
How To Pick Sweet Wines
Sweet wines are not always cheap as they can be very difficult to make. However, sweet wine is often so concentrated a small glass goes a long way. You can find great sweet wines any where from supermarkets to wine merchants.
In summary, sweet wines have been widely underestimated and often reserved only to accompany desserts. This is unjustified, as sweet wines require a great deal of skill and patience to be made to a high quality. Sweet wines are also much more versatile than they are given credit for, they can complement many main meals extremely well and can be drunk on their own.
