Dessert wine

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Vin de Paille, a straw wine from France Vin paille.jpg
Vin de Paille, a straw wine from France

Dessert wines, sometimes called pudding wines in the United Kingdom, are sweet wines typically served with dessert.

Contents

There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal, as opposed to the white [1] fortified wines (fino and amontillado sherry) drunk before the meal and the red fortified wines (port and madeira) drunk after it. Thus, most fortified wines are regarded as distinct from dessert wines, but some of the less-strong fortified white wines, such as Pedro Ximénez sherry and Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, are regarded as honorary dessert wines. In the United States, by contrast, a dessert wine is legally defined as any wine over 14% alcohol by volume, which includes all fortified wines—and is taxed more highly as a result. This dates back to when the US wine industry only made dessert wines by fortification, but such a classification is outdated now that modern yeast and viticulture can produce dry wines over 15% without fortification (and German dessert wines can contain half that amount of alcohol).

Methods of production

Chateau d'Yquem 1999. A dessert wine from Sauternes made by so-called "noble rot" Yquem99.jpg
Château d'Yquem 1999. A dessert wine from Sauternes made by so-called "noble rot"

Makers of dessert wines want to produce a wine containing high levels of both sugar and alcohol. Since all winemaking creates alcohol from fermentation of sugars they are typically traded off. However, there are many ways to increase relative sugar levels in the final wine:

Natural sweetness

A late harvest Semillon from Washington State. Late harvest Semillon.jpg
A late harvest Semillon from Washington State.

In the absence of other techniques, makers of dessert wine have to produce their sugar in the vineyard. Some grape varieties, such as Muscat, Ortega and Huxelrebe, naturally produce much more sugar than others. Environmental conditions have a big effect on ultimate sugar levels; the vigneron can help by leaving the grapes on the vine until they are fully ripe, and by green harvesting and pruning to expose the young grapes to the sun. Green harvesting reduces the number of bunches on a vine early in the summer, so that the sugar production of the leaves is divided between fewer bunches. While the vigneron cannot control the sun, a sunny year regulates sugar levels. The semi-sweet Auslese wines in the German wine classification are probably the best example of this approach; most modern winemakers perceive that their customers want either fully dry or 'properly' sweet dessert wines, so 'leave it to nature' is currently out of fashion. But most of the Muscats of ancient times were probably made this way, including the famous Constantia of South Africa.

Chaptalization

Honey was added to wine in Roman times, for sweetness and to increase the final strength of the wine. Today sugar is usually added in order to boost the alcohol levels of flabby, unripe wines rather than for sweetness, although a degree of chaptalization is permitted in the wines of many countries. German wines must declare whether they are 'natural' or not; in any case, chaptalization is banned from the top tiers of German wines.

Süssreserve

The 'reserve of sweetness' is a German technique in which unfermented must (grape juice) is added to the wine after fermentation. This increases the sweetness of the final wine and dilutes the alcohol somewhatin Germany the final wine can contain no more than 15% Süssreserve by volume. [2] Süssreserve allows winemakers to fully ferment the wine without having to worry about stopping fermentation before all the sugar has gone. Since sulphites are used to stop fermentation, this technique reduces the usage of sulphites. Süssreserve is used by other makers of German-style wines, particularly in New Zealand.

Fortification

Port wine, a fortified wine Kopke Port & Chocolate (36326099081).jpg
Port wine, a fortified wine

The main fortified wines drunk with dessert are sweet Montilla-Moriles & sherry, particularly Pedro Ximénez, and vins doux naturels. The Pedro Ximenez dessert wine is unique because it is a raisin wine that is then fortified and aged in a solera system like other sweet wine from Andalucia. Other sweet sherries (is a blend wine) such as Bristol Cream may also be drunk as dessert wine.

The production of vins doux naturels was perfected by Arnaud de Villeneuve at the University of Montpellier in the 13th century. They are now quite common in the Languedoc-Roussillon of southwest France. As the names suggest, Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, Muscat de Rivesaltes, Muscat de Frontignan, Muscat de Lunel, Muscat de Mireval and Muscat de St-Jean Minervois are all made from the white Muscat grape, whilst Banyuls and Maury are made from red Grenache. Regardless of the grape, fermentation is stopped with up to 10% of 95% grape spirit. The Muscats are made in a somewhat oxidised style, the Grenaches less so.

Raisin wine

Glass of Caluso passito, a raisin wine from Piedmont Calusopassito.jpg
Glass of Caluso passito, a raisin wine from Piedmont

In ancient Carthage, a sweet wine called passum was made from air-dried grapes and across the Malta Channel from the site of Carthage similar wines are still made, called Moscato Passito di Pantelleria. Such wines were described by the Romans. Northern Italy is home to a number of 'passito' wines, where the grapes are dried on straw, on racks, or hung from the rafters. These wines include Vin Santo (into which almond biscuits, 'cantucci', are traditionally dunked), Sciachetrà, Recioto di Soave (drunk with the local version of panettone) and the sweet red Recioto della Valpolicella (which stands up to chocolate better than most wine). Across the Alps, the French make 'straw wine' (vin de paille) in the Jura, Rhone and Alsace; the Spanish start off making a raisin wine with Pedro Ximénez before fortifying it; the Cypriots have their ancient Commandaria; and there have been recent experiments with the style in South Africa and the US.

Ice wine

Grapes for ice wine Ice wine grapes.jpg
Grapes for ice wine

Most wine laws require temperatures below at most −7 °C (19 °F) before the grapes for ice wine can be picked. [3] [4] [5] At such temperatures, some water in the grapes freezes but the sugars and other solids remain dissolved in the remaining juice. If the grapes are pressed while frozen, a very concentrated must can result, which needs special yeast and a long time to ferment. The resulting wines are very sweet, but balanced by their acidity. The minuscule yields mean they tend to be very expensive. The most famous are German Eiswein and Canadian Icewine, but ice wines are also made in the United States, Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Italy, Australia, France and New Zealand in smaller quantities.

Noble rot wine

Riesling grapes with noble rot Botrytis riesling.jpg
Riesling grapes with noble rot

The primary distinction between botrytized wines and other non-fortified sweet wines, such as late-harvest wines, ice wines (eiswein), or straw wines, lies in the extensive range and richness of aroma compounds generated by Botrytis cinerea fungal infection of the grapes. Significant differences are also evident in other components, like glycerol and acid composition, due to microbial activity. Descriptors frequently used for these wines highlight flavours of peach, apricot, pear, quince, raisin, and honey, along with unique "botrytis" or roti characteristics. Additionally, a notable feature of botrytized wines is their high acid content, which prevents them from tasting cloying, even with sugar levels often exceeding 200 g/l [6]

Some of the most famous dessert wines, such as Tokaji Aszú of Tokaj-Hegyalja in Hungary, Château d'Yquem of Sauternes, and Seewinkel of Austria, are made using grapes mouldy with Botrytis cinerea , which sucks water out of the grape whilst imparting flavours of honey and apricot to the future wine. [7]

The fungus requires specific conditions to produce noble rot; if it is too damp, the same fungus causes destructive grey rot. Vignerons endeavour to maximise the amount of noble rot without losing the whole crop to grey rot. Typically, noble rot forms best in conditions with regular morning mist, normally from a nearby lake or the sea. The wait for noble rot to form means these wines are usually harvested late.

The first noble rot wines were likely created by accident—both the Hungarians and the Germans have similar stories of how the harvest was delayed for some reason, but the mouldy grapes were vinified anyway and then found to be delicious. [8] Given that propensity to noble rot was a factor in Hungarian vineyard demarcations some 50 years before a messenger was supposedly mugged on his way to Schloss Johannisberg in Germany and aszú inventory predates it by about 200 years, Hungary's Tokaj is where it was first produced. [9] Germany may have later discovered the same process independently.

Noble rot is responsible for many other dessert wines, including Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) of the German wine classification, French Monbazillac, Austrian Beerenauslese, Ausbruch and other TBA-type wines from all over the world.

Serving

Vin Santo with almond biscuits Vin Santo.JPG
Vin Santo with almond biscuits

A general rule is that the wine should be sweeter than the food it is served with—a perfectly ripe peach has been described as the ideal partner for many dessert wines, whereas it makes sense not to drink wine at all with many chocolate- and toffee-based dishes. Red dessert wines like Recioto della Valpolicella and fortified wines like the vin doux naturel Muscats are the best matches for such difficult-to-pair desserts. [10]

Alternatively, the wine itself can be a dessert, but bakery sweets can make a good match, particularly with a little bitterness like biscuits that are dunked in Vin Santo. [11] A development of this matching of contrasts is a rich savoury dish like the foie gras that is a traditional partner to Sauternes. [12]

White dessert wines are generally served somewhat chilled, but can be easily served too cold. Red dessert wines are served at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortified wine</span> Wine with an added distilled beverage

Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Commandaria wine, and the aromatised wine vermouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice wine</span> Dessert wine produced from frozen grapes

Icewine is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing for a more concentrated grape juice to develop. The grapes' must is then pressed from the frozen grapes, resulting in a smaller amount of more concentrated, very sweet juice. With icewines, the freezing happens before the fermentation, not afterwards. Unlike the grapes from which other dessert wines are made, such as Sauternes, Tokaji, or Trockenbeerenauslese, icewine grapes should not be affected by Botrytis cinerea or noble rot, at least not to any great degree. Only healthy grapes keep in good shape until the opportunity arises for an icewine harvest, which in extreme cases can occur after the New Year, on a northern hemisphere calendar. This gives icewine its characteristic refreshing sweetness balanced by high acidity. When the grapes are free of Botrytis, they are said to come in "clean". This results in a very complex and sweet wine. Much icewine is made from the grapes Riesling, Vidal, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, but there is also icewine made from Shiraz, Merlot, Sangiovese and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noble rot</span> Grey fungus affecting wine grapes

Noble rot is the beneficial form of a grey fungus, Botrytis cinerea, affecting wine grapes. Infestation by Botrytis requires warm and humid conditions, typically around 20 degrees celcius and above 80% humidity. If the weather stays wet, the undesirable form, "bunch rot" or "grey rot", adversely affects winemaking by disrupting fermentation and changing the taste, aroma, and appearance of the final wine Grapes typically become infected with Botrytis when they are ripe. If they are then exposed to drier conditions and become partially raisined, this form of infection is known as noble rot. Grapes picked at a certain point during infestation can produce particularly fine and concentrated sweet wine. Wines produced by this method are known as botrytized wines, and are considered a distinct category of dessert wines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarone</span> Italian red wine

Amarone della Valpolicella, usually known as Amarone, is an Italian DOCG denomination of typically rich dry red wine made from the partially dried grapes of the Corvina, Rondinella (5–30%) and other approved red grape varieties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chenin blanc</span> Variety of grape

Chenin blanc is a white wine grape variety from the Loire Valley of France. Its high acidity means it can be used to make varieties from sparkling wines to well-balanced dessert wines, although it can produce very bland, neutral wines if the vine's natural vigor is not controlled. Outside the Loire, it is found in most of the New World wine regions; it is the most widely planted variety in South Africa, where it was historically also known as Steen. The grape may have been one of the first to be grown in South Africa by Jan van Riebeeck in 1655, or it may have come to that country with Huguenots fleeing France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. Chenin blanc was often misidentified in Australia, as well, so tracing its early history in the country is not easy. It may have been introduced in James Busby's collection of 1832, but C. Waterhouse was growing Steen at Highercombe in Houghton, South Australia, by 1862.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Late harvest wine</span> Variety of wine

Late harvest wine is wine made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual. Late harvest is usually an indication of a sweet dessert wine, such as late harvest Riesling. Late harvest grapes are often more similar to raisins, but have been naturally dehydrated while on the vine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White wine</span> Wine fermented without skin contact

White wine is a wine that is fermented without skin contact. The colour can be straw-yellow, yellow-green, or yellow-gold. It is produced by the alcoholic fermentation of the non-coloured pulp of grapes, which may have a skin of any colour. White wine has existed for at least 4,000 years.

<i>Trockenbeerenauslese</i>

Trockenbeerenauslese, or TBA, is a German or Austrian botrytized wine made entirely from the individually selected grapes fully "dried" from Botrytis cinerea, hence the name. Trockenbeerenauslese is a very sweet wine, highest among the wines of the QmP category that includes also Auslese and Beerenauslese.

<i>Spätlese</i> German late harvest wine

Spätlese is a German wine term for a wine from fully ripe grapes, the lightest of the late harvest wines. Spätlese is a riper category than Kabinett in the Prädikatswein category of the German wine classification and is the lowest level of Prädikatswein in Austria, where Kabinett is classified in another way. In both cases, Spätlese is below Auslese in terms of ripeness. The grapes are picked at least seven days after normal harvest, so they are riper and have a higher sugar content. Because of the weather, waiting to pick the grapes later carries a risk of the crop being ruined by rain. However, in warm years and from good sites much of the harvest will reach Spätlese level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweetness of wine</span> Subjective feature of taste of wine

The subjective sweetness of a wine is determined by the interaction of several factors, including the amount of sugar in the wine, but also the relative levels of alcohol, acids, and tannins. Sugars and alcohol enhance a wine's sweetness, while acids cause sourness and bitter tannins cause bitterness. These principles are outlined in the 1987 work by Émile Peynaud, The Taste of Wine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pedro Ximénez</span> Variety of grape grown in Southern Spain

Pedro Ximénez is the name of a white Spanish wine grape variety grown in several Spanish wine regions but most notably in the denominación de origen (DO) of Montilla-Moriles. Here it is used to produce a varietal wine, an intensely sweet, dark, dessert sherry. It is made by drying the grapes under the hot sun, concentrating the sweetness, which are then used to create a thick, black liquid with a strong taste of raisins and molasses that is fortified and aged in solera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maury AOC</span>

Maury is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) for fortified vin doux naturel wines made in the Roussillon wine region of France. Almost all wines are red, made from at least 75% Grenache noir (Garnacha). Other permitted grapes are Grenache blanc, Grenache gris, Macabeu (Macabeo), Malvoisie du Roussillon (Tourbat), Syrah, Muscat and other local varieties. Although the grapes are different, they are used and marketed very much like port. It is made in the communes of Maury, Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet, Lesquerde, Tautavel and Rasiguères. The AOC was granted in 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauternes (wine)</span> French sweet wine from Bordeaux

Sauternes is a French sweet wine from the region of the same name in the Graves section in Bordeaux. Sauternes wine is made from Sémillon, sauvignon blanc, and muscadelle grapes that have been affected by Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot. This causes the grapes to become partially raisined, resulting in concentrated and distinctively flavored wines. Due to its climate, Sauternes is one of the few wine regions where infection with noble rot is a frequent occurrence. Even so, production is a hit-or-miss proposition, with widely varying harvests from vintage to vintage. Wines from Sauternes, especially the Premier Cru Supérieur estate Château d'Yquem, can be very expensive, largely due to the very high cost of production. Barsac lies within Sauternes and is entitled to use either name. Somewhat similar but less expensive and typically less-distinguished wines are produced in the neighboring regions of Monbazillac, Cérons, Loupiac and Cadillac. In the United States, there is a semi-generic label for sweet white dessert wines known as sauterne without the "s" at the end and uncapitalized.

The glossary of wine terms lists the definitions of many general terms used within the wine industry. For terms specific to viticulture, winemaking, grape varieties, and wine tasting, see the topic specific list in the "See also" section below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of wine</span> Alcoholic drink made by fermentation of grapes or other fruits and foods

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to wine:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monbazillac AOC</span>

Monbazillac is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) for sweet white wine produced in the village of Monbazillac on the left bank of the Dordogne just across from the town of Bergerac in South West France. The appellation covers almost 2,000 hectares of vineyards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straw wine</span> Wine made from dried grapes

Straw wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried off the vine to concentrate their juice. Under the classic method, after a careful hand harvest, selected bunches of ripe grapes will be laid out on mats in full sun.. This drying will probably be done on well exposed terraces somewhere near the wine press and the drying process will take around a week or longer. Small scale productions were laid out on flat roofs; however, if this still happens, it is extremely rare nowadays.

The classification of wine is based on various criteria including place of origin or appellation, vinification method and style, sweetness and vintage, and the grape variety or varieties used. Practices vary in different countries and regions of origin, and many practices have varied over time. Some classifications enjoy official protection by being part of the wine law in their country of origin, while others have been created by, for example, growers' organizations without such protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugars in wine</span>

Sugars in wine are at the heart of what makes winemaking possible. During the process of fermentation, sugars from wine grapes are broken down and converted by yeast into alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide. Grapes accumulate sugars as they grow on the grapevine through the translocation of sucrose molecules that are produced by photosynthesis from the leaves. During ripening the sucrose molecules are hydrolyzed (separated) by the enzyme invertase into glucose and fructose. By the time of harvest, between 15 and 25% of the grape will be composed of simple sugars. Both glucose and fructose are six-carbon sugars but three-, four-, five- and seven-carbon sugars are also present in the grape. Not all sugars are fermentable, with sugars like the five-carbon arabinose, rhamnose and xylose still being present in the wine after fermentation. Very high sugar content will effectively kill the yeast once a certain (high) alcohol content is reached. For these reasons, no wine is ever fermented completely "dry". Sugar's role in dictating the final alcohol content of the wine sometimes encourages winemakers to add sugar during winemaking in a process known as chaptalization solely in order to boost the alcohol content – chaptalization does not increase the sweetness of a wine.

MutageMEW-tij is a wine making technique for making sweet wines.

References

  1. "The 7 major types of white wines" . Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  2. Süssreserve Archived 2007-03-10 at the Wayback Machine on Wine Dictionary.
  3. Amerine, Maynard. "Wine". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  4. Shoemaker, Ted (6 December 2013). "German Ice Wine Rules Tightened". Wine Spectator. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  5. CooksInfo (4 October 2020). "Ice Wine". Cook's Info. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  6. Magyar, I. (December 2011). "Chapter 6 - Botrytized Wines". Advances in Food and Nutrition Research. 63: 147–206. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-384927-4.00006-3.
  7. "The Beautiful Bounty of Botrytized Wines". Wine Enthusiast Magazine .
  8. Kolpan, Steve; Weiss, Michael A.; Smith, Brian H. (2014). Winewise: Your Complete Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Enjoying Wine (2nd ed.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 272. ISBN   978-0-544-33462-5.
  9. Jancis Robinson, MW, "Tokaji", in Jancis Robinson's Concise Wine Companion (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), pp. 469–471, ISBN   0-19-866274-2.
  10. Gorman-McAdams, Mary (Apr 29, 2010). "Delicious Dessert Wines for Dessert Week". The Kitchn. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  11. Passino, Carla; Donati, Silvia (12 November 2014). "Three of the Best Italian Dessert Wines". Italy Magazine. Archived from the original on Mar 31, 2023.
  12. Jeanne O'Brien Coffey (20 November 2017). "Surprise! Sauternes Is The Perfect Holiday Wine, From Apps To Dessert" . Forbes . Archived from the original on Jun 12, 2021.