Sticky Sweet Wines

The holidays are a great time for bringing out those dusty bottles of wine that are hiding in the back of your cellar. And if your wine collection is anything like mine, there are usually a few bottles of dessert wine that have been collecting dust over the last year just waiting for a special occasion with friends and family to bring them out of the cellar. What better excuse for popping the corks on these special bottles than the holidays?

Dessert wines come in many forms from the fortified wines of Portugal (Port and Madeira) and Spain (Sherry) to the Late Harvest/Botrytis wines of France and the United States to the Icewines of Germany and Canada. In Australia, you will often hear dessert wines referred to as “stickies”. And that is what some of them can be…sticky sweet. But in that indulgent, wonderful kind of way. Even if you think “sweet” is not for you, you are bound to find a dessert wine that pleases your palate.

Fortified wines are wines that have additional alcohol added during the winemaking process to stop the yeast fermentation process. The result is a higher alcohol wine with residual sugars that make the wine sweet. Various grapes are used to make fortified wines but one of the common grapes is Muscat.

Late Harvest wines are left on the vines until they shrivel into something more raisin-like. Botrytis (known more formally as Botrytis cinerea and less formally as Noble Rot) is a mold that builds on the grapes while they are on the vine and causes them to rot, thus the term Noble Rot since the end result is anything but rotten. Late Harvest wines are often made from Sauvignon Blanc or Semillon although many California producers will also use Muscat. The famous Sauterne wines of France (Chateau d’Yquem being the most notable) are made from botrytis infected Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes.

Icewine, or Eiswein as it is known in its German birthplace is another form of Late Harvest/Botrytis wine. Winemakers take late harvest a step farther by allowing the grapes to stay on the vines far past the end of Fall until they are actually frozen on the vine. The grapes are typically not harvested until late December or even January. Eiswein has a higher concentration of sugar because the water is literally “frozen” out of the grapes. Many Eiswein’s are made from the Riesling grape.

Pairing & Serving Dessert Wine

Sweet wines are a great complement to your dessert or on their own as a separate course either before or after dessert. The number one rule for dessert and wine pairing is that the wine should always be sweeter than the dessert. For the holiday favorites that are sure to make an appearance at your Thanksgiving table, we recommend a Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling with pumpkin pie and a Port or Late Harvest Zinfandel with pecan pie. And if anything chocolate makes its way to your table, we suggest Port. It’s one of those food and wine pairing marriages made in heaven. Always serve Ice Wines and Late Harvest Wines very cold. Port and most other fortified wines are best at room temperature.

Our Favorite Dessert Wines

Dolce – looking to treat yourself this holiday season? Get your hands on a bottle of Dolce. This “liquid gold” is made by Far Niente winery and is a Late Harvest blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. A 375ml bottle will set you back $85. But the holidays are for spoiling yourself, right?

Inniskillin Icewine – a Canadian treasure, Inniskillin makes a lovely Riesling Icewine. There are a lot of citrus flavors in this wine making it a great pairing for fruit based desserts and rich cheeses. $65 for a 375ml bottle.

Beringer Nightingale – the techniques used to make this wine were created by famed Beringer Winemaker Myron Nightingale and his wife Alice. The clusters of grapes are placed in single layers on a tray and gentle sprayed with carefully cultivated Botrytis cinerea spores. Sweet honey and peach aromas and flavors make this wine a great end to any meal. $40 for a 375ml bottle.

Charbay Ruby Port – the Charbay vodka makers also known how to make incredible wines and their French Oak aged Ruby Port is no exception. The port is made from Cabernet Sauvignon grown on Spring Mountain and fortified with their 8-year-old hand distilled Charbay Brandy. $38 for a 375ml bottle.

Hall Winery Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc – a 100% Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest wine with strong stone fruit aromas and loads of rich, honey flavor. Winemaker Steve Leveque makes this wine in the classic Sauterne style, harvesting the grapes in late November. $35 for a 375ml bottle.

Written by Linzi