What's the grown-up version of those little candy hearts?  Perhaps a little bottle (or, heck, a BIG bottle!) of dessert wine.  Dessert wines add a sweet touch for Valentine's Day.

Sweet wines don't get the same sort of press as the big guns such as Chardonnay and Cabernet.  But they have a place at the table, especially at this time of year when romance is in the air.   And you don't necessarily have to wait for dessert - as an aperitif, I love it with blue cheese, or having it with lobster is a wonderful treat too.

Dessert wines come in various styles.  Many are late harvest wines, which means the grapes are left on the vine until the sugar levels increase dramatically, then the grapes are pressed and fermented to produce a wine with residual sugar, hence the sweetness.  Some involve allowing a particular kind of mold, known as botrytis, to develop.  This further concentrates the grape sugars and flavors.  It is a labor-intensive and tricky process.  You have to have just the right amount of rain - it doesn't happen every year, but it did this harvest -- followed by painstaking picking; sometimes only a few grapes are selected from a cluster.  The result is a golden, silky wine with notes of pineapple and caramel.  The wine is rich enough that a little goes a long way.  It is something that is sublime and has a very lengthy texture on the palate and you want to be able to enjoy that.  Port also falls into the category of dessert wines.  Here the sweetness comes from adding a spirit, often brandy.  These are usually higher in alcohol content than regular wines, around 18 to 19%, and are a traditional way to end a meal.  Ports also happen to be good with dark chocolate, a plus for Valentine's Day.

So go forth my dear readers!  Live – Love – Eat  this Valentine’s Holiday!

 

 Here is a list of some sweet wines for your Valentine:

Moscato d'Asti - Sweet semi-sparkling wine, noteably sweeter and lighter in both taste and palate feel, with a lower alcohol content of around 8%.  It is from the Piedmont region and shows ripe peach flavors surrounded by honeysuckle.  Makes a terrific apéritif as well as a perfect partner to cheesecake.

White Riesling - This wine oozes apricot and citrus flavors, there should be detailed balance of both acidity and residual sugar levels, making for a very dessert friendly wine.  Try this particular Riesling with apple pie or crisp, fruit torte, cheesecake and white chocolate-based desserts.

Ice Wine (Eiswein in Germany) - Made with grapes that have been allowed to freeze on the vine.  These wines can be expensive, but Canadian vintner Jackson-Triggs makes a number of reasonably priced bottles.

Other sweet German wines – Auslese wines are made from grapes that have been hand-selected out from the other grapes.  These grapes are late-harvest and have a high sugar content.  Beerenauslese wines are made from grapes that have been left on the vine longer than the Auslese grapes.  These grapes develop the fungus Botrytis, which removes the moisture from the grape.  Thus these wines are very sweet and make good dessert wines.  Trockenbeerenauslese wines are extremely sweet, concentrated and usually quite expensive wines.  The grapes used for Trockenbeerenauslese have reached an even more raisin-like state than those used for Beerenauslese.

Sauternes – Sweet, succulent (and often expensive!), white wine from Bordeaux, France.  Sauternes are characterized by the balance of sweetness with the zest of acidity -- think apricots and honey.  They are some of longest-lived wines, with premium bottles from exceptional vintages properly stored having the potential to age well even beyond 100 years!  Foie gras is a classic match – also pairs graciously with sweet, citrus- and stone fruit-based desserts, custards and cakes.  My husband received a half-bottle in his stocking this year… Perhaps he’ll open it for his sweetie this February 14th  

Brachetto - This is a red sparkling wine from Italy's Piedmont region, that is sweet and subtle with the lush flavors of ripe raspberry and juicy strawberry.  Consider giving this wine a run with chocolate-based desserts – think chocolate-dipped strawberries!  My sister’s favorite brand is Banfi Rosa Regale and it is very reasonably priced.

Port - Red dessert wine from Portugal.  This has overtones of the campfire classic, s'mores -- hints of chocolate, marshmallows and a bit of spice.  In particular, Tawny Port presents a brickish red color, with a sweet, nutty aroma. On the palate you'll find a delicious, rich display of well ripened sweet fig flavors and a caramel finish. Give this Port a turn at pairing with your favorite desserts, ranging from tiramisu to chocolate truffles and pecan pie.  Also, consider this Tawny Port as a delicious pairing partner for aged cheddar cheese.

Pedro Ximénez Sherry (a.k.a. “PX”) - Sherry begins with deep, dark brown color and proceeds to a full-bodied, full-sweeping flavor wine experience.  The palate profile yields a cornucopia of flavors in the form of ultra creamy caramel, a toasty fig sweetness, and a hint of coffee with a welcomed mocha extension - all surrounded by a decidedly nutty nuance. These sweet dessert sherries would make a perfect partner with the likes of an apple crisp, pecan or pumpkin pie.


For your wine services, please visit me at www.CuveeManagement.com