Dessert wines (or pudding wines BrE) are sweet wines typically served with dessert, such as Sauternes and Tokaji Aszú. British English or UK English ( BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice Dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal usually consisting of sweet Food but sometimes of a strongly-flavored one such as some Cheeses The Sauternes is a French Dessert wine from the Sauternais region of the Graves section in Bordeaux. For Tokajský wine and the wine region in Slovakia see Tokaj (Slovakia Tokaji (of Tokaj is the name of the wines from the region of Tokaj-Hegyalja Despite the name, they are often best appreciated alone, or with fruit or bakery sweets.
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 fortified wines (fino and amontillado sherry) drunk before the meal, and the red fortified wines (port and madeira) drunk after it. Fortified wine is Wine to which alcohol (usually Brandy) has been added Port wine (also known as Vinho do Porto, Oporto, Porto, and often simply Port) is a Portuguese, Fortified Madeira is a fortified Portuguese wine made in the Madeira Islands. 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. Pedro Ximénez (also known as PX and many other variations is the name of a white Grape grown in certain regions of Spain, and also a Varietal Beaumes de Venise is an appellation of wines from the eastern central region of the southern half of the Rhône Valley 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. Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as abv or ABV) is a standard measure of how much alcohol ( Ethanol) is contained in an Alcoholic beverage This dates back to a time when the US wine industry only made dessert wines by fortification, but such a classification is outdated now that modern yeast and viticulture can produce dry wines over 15% without fortification, yet German dessert wines can contain half that amount of alcohol. Yeasts are a growth form of eukaryotic Microorganisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with about 1500 Species currently described Viticulture (from the Latin word for Vine) is the Science, production and study of Grapes which deals with the series of
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Methods of production
Makers of dessert wines want to produce a wine containing high levels of both sugar and alcohol, yet the latter is made out of the former. There are many ways to increase sugar levels in the final wine:
- grow grapes so that they naturally have sugar to spare for both sweetness and alcohol. The sweetness of a Wine is defined by the level of residual sugar (or RS in the fermentation proces
- add sugar, either:
- before fermentation as sugar or honey (Chaptalization)
- after fermentation as unfermented must (Süssreserve). MUST may refer to Militära underrättelse- och säkerhetstjänsten, the Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service Misr University
- add alcohol (typically brandy) having not fermented all the natural sugar in the grape juice - this is called fortification, or 'mutage'.
- remove water to concentrate the sugar:
- In warm climates, by air drying the grapes to make raisin wine
- In frosty climates, by freezing out some of the water to make ice wine
- In damp temperate climates, by using a fungal infection, Botrytis cinerea, to desiccate the grapes with noble rot
Natural sweetness
In the absence of other techniques, makers of dessert wine have to produce their sugar in the vineyard. Botrytis cinerea is a Fungus that affects many plant species although its most notable hosts may be Wine Grapes In Viticulture Some grape varieties, such as Muscat, Ortega and Huxelrebe, naturally produce a lot more sugar than others. The muscat family of Grapes of the species Vitis vinifera is widely grown for Wine, Raisins and Table grapes Their color The Huxelrebe is a white Grape vine. It can make very high-quality Wines primarily sweet wines as an Apéritif or Dessert wine. Unfortunately this tends to be at the expense of flavour compounds, so the wine is sweet but boring. 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. Unfortunately the vigneron can't control the sun, but a sunny year can help sugar levels a lot. 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. German wine classification consists of several quality categories and is often the source of some confusion especially among non-German speaking wine consumers But most of the Muscats of ancient times were probably made this way, including the famous Constantia of South Africa. Constantia is a South African Dessert wine. It is made from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains (Muscat de Frontignan Grapes grown in the district of
Chaptalization
- See also: Chaptalization
Honey was added to wine in Roman times, for sweetness and to increase the final strength of the wine. Chaptalization is the process of adding Sugar to unfermented Grape Must in order to increase the alcohol content after fermentation Perhaps surprisingly, today sugar is usually added 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 somewhat - in Germany the final wine can contain no more than 15% Süssreserve by volume. [1] 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. New Zealand wine is largely produced in ten major wine growing regions spanning latitudes 36° to 45° South and extending 1600 km (1000 miles
Fortification
- See also: Fortified wine
The main fortified wines drunk with dessert are sweet sherry, particularly Pedro Ximénez, and vins doux naturels. Fortified wine is Wine to which alcohol (usually Brandy) has been added Sherry is a Fortified wine, made in and around the town of Jerez, Spain. Pedro Ximénez (also known as PX and many other variations is the name of a white Grape grown in certain regions of Spain, and also a Varietal 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 sherries. Pedro Ximénez (also known as PX and many other variations is the name of a white Grape grown in certain regions of Spain, and also a Varietal Solera is a process for aging liquids such as Wine, Vinegar, and Brandy, by fractional blending in such a way that the finished product is mixture Other sweet sherries such as Bristol Cream may also be drunk as dessert wine. Harveys' Bristol Cream is a leading Spanish Sherry, which has been imported into and bottled in Bristol, England since 1796 by Harveys of Bristol
The production of vins doux naturels was perfected by Arnaud de Villeneuve at the University of Montpellier in the 13th century and they are now quite common in the Languedoc-Rousillon of southwest France. The University of Montpellier (Université Montpellier was a French University in Montpellier in the Languedoc-Roussillon région As the name suggests, 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. Beaumes de Venise is an appellation of wines from the eastern central region of the southern half of the Rhône Valley Muscat de Rivesaltes is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée for Fortified wines ( Vin doux naturel) made in the Roussillon ( Northern Catalonia Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is a white Wine Grape that is a member of the Muscat family of Vitis vinifera. The muscat family of Grapes of the species Vitis vinifera is widely grown for Wine, Raisins and Table grapes Their color Banyuls ( Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) is a fortified Aperitif or Dessert wine made from old Vines cultivated in terraces Maury is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée for Wines made in the Roussillon ( Northern Catalonia) wine region of France. Grenache (pronounced gren-ash) (in Spanish, Garnacha, in Catalan, Garnatxa) is probably the most widely planted variety of red wine 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
- See also: Straw wine
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. Straw Wine, or raisin wine, is a Wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice Passum was a style of Raisin wine (wine from semi-dried Grapes apparently developed in ancient Carthage and transmitted from there to Italy, Such wines were described by the Romans, and 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). Vin Santo ( holy wine) is an Italian Dessert wine. This traditional Tuscan Wine is made from Trebbiano and Malvasia Panettone ( Milanese: panetton classical orthography panetùn other orthography is a typical Bread of Milan 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 USA. Alsace wine or Alsatian wine (in French: Vin d'Alsace) is produced in the Alsace region in France and is primarily white Pedro Ximénez (also known as PX and many other variations is the name of a white Grape grown in certain regions of Spain, and also a Varietal Commandaria (or Commanderia; Greek: Κουμανδαρία is an amber-coloured sweet Dessert wine made in the Commandaria region of Cyprus South African wine has a history dating back to 1659, and at one time Constantia was considered one of the greatest wines in the world American wine has been produced for over 300 years Today Wine production is performed in all fifty states with California leading the way in wine production followed
Ice wine
- See also: Ice wine
Most wine laws require temperatures below at least −7 °C (19 °F) before the grapes for ice wine can be picked. At such temperatures, some of the water in the grapes freezes out, but the sugars and other solids remain dissolved in the remaining juice. If the grapes are pressed whilst frozen a very concentrated must can result, which needs special yeast and a long time to ferment. The resulting wines are very sweet but with lots of balancing acidity. The minuscule yields mean that they tend to be very expensive. The most famous ice wines are German Eiswein and Canadian ice wine, but apart from these, ice wine is also made in the United States, Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Australia, France, and New Zealand in smaller quantity. German wine is primarily produced in the southwest of Germany, along River Rhine and its tributaries with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman Canadian wine is produced in Southern Ontario and southern British Columbia, and Nova Scotia. Austrian wines are mostly dry White wines (often made from the Grüner Veltliner grape with some luscious Dessert wines made around the Neusiedler Many regions of the Czech Republic have large wine producing areas Hungarian wine has a history dating back to at least Roman times and that history reflects the country's position between the Slavs and the Germanic peoples The Australian wine industry is the fourth-largest exporter in the world exporting over 400 million litres a year to a large international export market that includes "old world" French wine is produced in several regions throughout France, on over 800000 Hectares (over 2 million Acres of Vineyards and in a typical New Zealand wine is largely produced in ten major wine growing regions spanning latitudes 36° to 45° South and extending 1600 km (1000 miles
Noble rot wine
- See also: Noble rot
Some of the most famous dessert wines of them all, such as Château d'Yquem of Sauternes and Tokaji Aszú of Tokaj-Hegyalja in Hungary, are made from mouldy grapes. Noble rot (French pourriture noble; German Edelfäule) is the benevolent form of a grey Fungus, Botrytis cinerea, affecting Château d'Yquem is a Premier Cru Supérieur ( Fr "Great First Growth" or "Great First Vintage" Wine from the Sauternes is a French Dessert wine from the Sauternais region of the Graves section in Bordeaux. For Tokajský wine and the wine region in Slovakia see Tokaj (Slovakia Tokaji (of Tokaj is the name of the wines from the region of Tokaj-Hegyalja This page is about the World Heritage Site. For places with similar names see Tokaj town or Tokaj (region in Slovakia Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic But not just any mould - Botrytis cinerea sucks water out of the grape whilst imparting new flavours of honey and apricot to the future wine. Botrytis cinerea is a Fungus that affects many plant species although its most notable hosts may be Wine Grapes In Viticulture However, it may also release metabolites that can retard fermentation - in fact Recioto della Valpolicella from Italy relies on a premature stop to fermentation to keep it sweet, otherwise it becomes the dry wine Amarone. Straw Wine, or raisin wine, is a Wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice
Unfortunately the fungus is very fussy about the conditions required for such 'noble rot', if it is too damp the same fungus causes the destructive 'grey rot'. So vignerons walk a fine line between maximising the amount of noble rot and losing the whole crop to grey rot. Typically noble rot forms best in conditions where morning mist from a nearby lake or the sea gets burnt off during the day by hot sun. The wait for noble rot to form is the reason why noble rot wines are usually late-harvested. Late harvest is a term applied to Wines made from Grapes left on the Vine longer than usual No doubt the first noble rot wines were 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. 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, the Hungarians probably have a better case. Schloss Johannisberg is a winery in the Rheingau wine-growing region in Germany, that has been making Wine for over 900 years Noble rot is responsible for many of the greatest dessert wines, not just Tokaji, Sauternes and Recioto, but the Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese of the German wine classification, Romanian Grasă de Cotnari, French Monbazillac, Austrian Ausbruch and several wines from the New World. For Tokajský wine and the wine region in Slovakia see Tokaj (Slovakia Tokaji (of Tokaj is the name of the wines from the region of Tokaj-Hegyalja Sauternes is a French Dessert wine from the Sauternais region of the Graves section in Bordeaux. German wine classification consists of several quality categories and is often the source of some confusion especially among non-German speaking wine consumers Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Grasă de Cotnari ('grasə de kot'narʲ is a a Romanian wine variety associated with the Cotnari vineyard Moldavia, where it has been grown 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 Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Ausbruch (literal meaning "broken-out" or sometimes Ausbruchwein is an Austrian Wine term for a quality level in the Prädikatswein
Serving
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 least bad matches for such challenging desserts.
Quite often the wine itself can be a dessert, but bakery sweets can make a good match, particularly with a little bitterness like the almond biscuits that are dunked in Vin Santo. A development of this matching of contrasts is a rich savoury dish like the foie gras that is a traditional partner to Sauternes. White dessert wines are generally served somewhat chilled, but can be easily served too cold. Red dessert wine are served at room temperature or slightly chilled.
References
- ^ Süssreserve on Wine Dictionary
Dictionary
dessert wine
-noun
- Any of many relatively sweet wines, traditionally drunk at the end of a meal
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