My dictionary defines “dessert wine” this way: “a still usually sweet straw colored to red wine containing over 14 percent and frequently 20 to 21 percent alcohol by volume (as port, tokay, and muscatel) often served with dessert or between meals.”

I am fond of my dictionary, but it has this all wrong. A dessert wine is any wine served with or in place of dessert. Of course the federal government long ago chose to classify wines somewhat by their alcohol content, and it is the convention to refer to wines over 14% as dessert wines. While this is of some importance since different taxes are levied at higher alcohol levels, this does little to identify the wine. There are bone-dry chardonnays and cabernets at over 14%. Conversely, there are delicious sweet wines at less than 10%. Further, sweetness alone hardly defines a dessert wine. One thing for sure, the dictionary should free itself from government influences, whenever possible.

There are indeed certain wines that, because of their sweetness, seemed best reserved for dessert. These wines are generally considered too sweet to accompany any other course of a meal. All over the world there are regions (or villages for that matter) that specialize in sweet wines. The most famous of these is the Sauternes section of Bordeaux in France. The traditional wine of Sauternes is made late in the harvest from grapes that have not only attained high sugar through ripening, but also have had their moisture content reduced by the presence of a special (surprisingly beneficial) mold. Wines of this type are concentrated in every respect and, although very sweet, offer complexity way beyond simple sugar. The same method yields trockenbeerenauslese wines throughout Germany and an array of “late harvest” wines in California.

Another way to achieve profound sweetness in natural wines is to deliver frozen fruit to the wine press. Fruit that has already achieved rather high sugar is boosted to the super-sweet category by being crushed while still frozen. Much of the water from the grapes is left behind as ice as the super rich, concentrated fruit seeps out of the press. This technique is best known in Germany where it is called “eiswein”. The anglicized “icewine” is growing increasingly famous in Canada. There is even an expedient modern practice of achieving similar results by freezing grapes in large coolers rather than waiting for a chance natural event.

These two methods are by far the most common for making “natural” sweet wines. More moderate sugar levels can be achieved by simply stopping fermentation of otherwise ordinary juice at lower than normal alcohol levels. Since the sugar in the grape is converted to alcohol in making dry wine, stopping fermentation early leaves varying levels of “residual” sugar. A host of wines of varying styles can be made this way. If they are bottled at low temperature soon after fermentation they may be slightly sparkling as well as rather sweet. Many wine regions have specialties of this sort, the most famous being the light muscatos of Italy.

Of course there is a large family of dessert wines that fit the dictionary’s (and the government’s) definition. Port and cream sherry are the most famous of these. Although there are many styles and qualities of these wines, they are all fortified. That is, their fermentation is arrested while sugar is still present by adding high proof spirits to the vats. Fermentation does not continue when the alcohol content is too high, so a considerable amount of sugar can be retained. Spain and Portugal do not have this technique all to themselves. Excellent Port-style or Sherry-style wines are made around the world.

With all manner of sweet wine available, it is still the case that any wine could be a dessert wine. Some folks relish dark chocolate and heavy red wine. Others prefer cheese with red wine of most any sort (rather than the traditional Port). Light almost-dry whites are refreshing with fruit based desserts. Great sparkling wine is delicious anytime.

Many wine lovers will pass on traditional dessert and serve an especially fine wine at the end of the meal. I contend that any wine served in this manner becomes the dessert wine.

Richard deBondt has been President of Northampton Wines, a Greenville retail store, since it’s founding in 1975. He conducts weekly wine tastings and related presentations. He is also a long time performer with the Greenville Symphony Orchestra.

Back to "Articles"