When you first “get into” wine, you develop your own signature set of gripes. Things that never used to irk you when you were a normal consumer, but once you’ve spent enough time in the minutia of it all, you can’t help but be obnoxious about. For me, two personal pet peeves come to mind: first, incorrectly pronouncing the word sommelier (suh·muhl·yay, not suh-mawl-ee-yay) and second, asking a waiter if a wine is dry and nothing else.
Obviously, you can enunciate whichever French word however you please, and ask that your wine be bone dry—I’m not that much of a wine snob. But in the matter of sweet wine, it’s important that you know most wine on a menu is going to have been fermented dry unless listed otherwise. Also: sweet wine is good. Great, even. And despite some mass-produced brands giving the category a bad rap, dismissing a wine simply because of its sugar content is to miss out on a whole world of drinking delight.
The best sweet wines are deeply complex in both aroma and flavor. They’re steeped in history, rich in culture, and possess some of the most intricate grape-growing and winemaking processes in the world. They’re also versatile in a perception-altering kind of way. You show me your go-to Cab to have with filet mignon and I’ll line up a vintage Port that’ll change the way you view food pairings forever. But despite all this, one truth remains: the vast majority do not identify as sweet wine drinkers.
“While there are many fantastic sweet wines worldwide, some people, especially young generations, think they’re low-quality just because they’re sweet,” Serafina Restaurant Group sommelier Alessandra Rotondi says. This aversion may even have to do with the name itself. “Calling them ‘sweet’ wines puts into people’s minds the idea of candy and cloying confectionary tastes,” Hôtel Swexan sommelier Kyle Kazor says. “The Italians call them vini di meditazione (wines of meditation), which paints a prettier picture in the mind.”
Indeed, sweet wines are nothing like candy or sugary sodas. They can exude bold, developed aromas with razor-sharp acidity, making them just as delicious with food as on their own. If you’re new to sweet wines, here are a few different techniques to familiarize yourself with, as each offers its own distinct style.
Fortified
A winemaker can choose to ‘fortify’ their wine by adding grape spirit, which increases the alcohol content. Take Port, for example. Fermentation is typically considered complete once all sugars in the juice have eaten the yeast, converting them into alcohol. But a winemaker producing Port can stop this process early by adding grape spirit, which kills the remaining yeast and leaves residual sugar behind. Rules and guidelines will vary depending on which region you’re in and style you’re making, but this is the general idea behind fortified wines. Other examples include Madeira (an absolute favorite of mine), Sherry, and Marsala, among others.
Noble Rot
Sweet wine can also be made by concentrating the grape sugars. If you fancy yourself a wine connoisseur, you’re maybe already familiar with noble rot. This method is used for some of the greats like Sauternes and Tokaji and is caused by a fungus called botrytis cinerea that grows once a grape is fully ripe (this is where the term ‘botrytized wine’ comes from). Under the best climate conditions, this fungus can give a wine aromas like honey, apricot, and dried fruit. Under the wrong climate conditions, it becomes a gray mold and destroys the grape—very sad.
Late Harvest
Another way to concentrate sugars is by drying the grapes on the vine after they’ve reached full ripeness and begin to naturally dehydrate. This ‘late harvest technique gives the wine a lovely over-ripe dried or tropical fruit flavor.
Dried Grapes
You can also dry the grapes after picking them off the vine, which is referred to as the appassimento method or passito wines (like with Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG or my personal favorite, Vinsanto from Santorini). The grapes are generally picked early when acidity is high and dried indoors anywhere between three weeks to six months, concentrating the sugars and flavors. (Some winemakers—like on the island of Pantelleria—still sun dry their grapes, which is the more traditional method).
Ice Wine
Lastly, freezing grapes on the vine is another way to intensify sugars. Once temperatures dip and the grapes have frozen on the vine, the fruit is picked and pressed. The frozen ice crystals get left behind in the process, leading to a higher ratio of sugar in the liquid that’s squeezed from the grapes. This is how Eiswein in Germany and ice wine in Canada and upstate New York is made.
If you’re still with me, it’s clear that the world of sweet wine is a series of elaborate processes that entail a considerable amount of time and resources, which means many of them command a higher price point. In fact, some of the most prestigious wines in the world are sweet (Vintage Port, TBA Riesling, and Sauternes, to name a few). And they’re not meant just for dessert—these wines have piercing acidity, which makes them incredibly food-friendly.
“There is a constant refrain of ‘I don’t like sweet wine’ from diners, yet I think sweet wines can bring a fabulous added dimension to a meal,” master sommelier and Kohanaiki wine director Andy Myers says, who counts Rieslings from Auslese up to Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) ripeness as his favorites to pair with fatty dishes, which brings up a valuable point: sweetness is a scale. A pour of off-dry Riesling (which tempers spicy cuisine magnificently, FYI) is nowhere near as sweet as, say, Tokaji Eszencia from Hungary. Keeping this in mind, continue ahead for a few standout sweet wines well-suited for food pairings to get you started on your path to a more diverse, well-rounded wine-drinking experience.
Port
There are a number of different Port styles to dive into—Tawny, Ruby, Vintage, Late Bottled Vintage, and so on. Begin with a 10-Year-Old Tawny Port for its delicate nuttiness and mellow notes of butterscotch, walnut, and chocolate. Enjoy it with creamy gorgonzola cheese for a blow-your-mind kind of duo.
Madeira
Sommelier Victoria James once told me Madeira is the perfect birthday gift as you can buy your loved one’s birth year vintage. I did this for my fiancé and now every March we break out the bottle and enjoy it with aged cheddar and roasted almonds. Oxidized, fortified sweet wines from Madeira (a Portuguese island) are high in acidity, have a wonderful nutty quality to them, and can age well over a hundred years.
Tokaji
These wines come from the Tokaj region of Hungary near the Slovakian border and are well-regarded for their botrytized sweet wines (though late harvest styles are also made here). The sweetest style is referred to as Tokaji Eszencia with the legal minimum level of residual sugar at a whopping 450 grams per liter. There’s also Tokaji Aszú, which is less sweet and offers the loveliest notes of honey and ginger balanced with high levels of acidity—try it with Sichuan.
Sauternes
This is a sweet wine made from noble rot in France’s Bordeaux region. These wines offer flavors like apricot and citrus peel and are usually a bit higher in alcohol and acidity. “There s a reason why Sauternes is a classic pairing for foie gras and livers,” Silver Apricot and Figure Eight sommelier and managing partner Emmeline Zhao says, referring to Sauternes’s reputation for being so well-balanced.
Ratafia de Champagne
This one’s interesting! Ratafia de Champagne is a sweet fortified wine that’s made with the last pressing of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, or Pinot Menuier (the three varietals of Champagne) and then fortified by adding grape spirit. It’s an excellent aperitif and a fun one if you love lesser-known wines. You can enjoy it on its own or with small bites like melon and ham.
Sherry
While my personal favorite styles of Sherry are in fact dry, it’s worth calling out Pedro Ximénez (or PX). This is a very sweet (and prestigious) style of Sherry that’s deep brown in color and offers aromas of dried fruit, coffee, and spices. PX wines are luscious and can reach 500 grams per liter of residual sugar. (Serving suggestion: drizzle PX over vanilla ice cream.)
Vinsanto
On a recent trip to Santorini, I was introduced to the island’s iconic sweet wine called Vinsanto (modeled after the Italian style, Vin Santo). These amber-hued wines are made with sundried grapes and have complex notes like cinnamon, clove, and dried fruits. Pair this 2016 Vinsanto with fresh cheese and fruits for a lovely spring picnic.
Moelleux
This refers to sweet Vouvray wines, which are made from the Chenin Blanc grape in France’s Loire Valley. “This style has notes of honey, lemon, hay, and some subtle nuttiness and is also known for a bracing acidity, which really counteracts the sugar,” Jodie Battles says, who’s the beverage director and partner at Faccia a Faccia and Bar Pallino in Boston. She suggests pairing them with artichokes, pastas with cream sauce, or dishes with Thai flavors.
Riesling
The Riesling grape can hold onto its high acidity while accumulating sugar, which makes it a great variety for sweet wines, typically made from noble rot. The German labeling system is a headache-inducing level of complexity, so lean on your wine shop workers for advice until you feel better acquainted. (Quick tip: if a German Riesling has trocken on the label, that means it’s dry.) Spätlese is made in the late harvest style and a great place to begin your Riesling journey (preferably alongside a pulled pork BBQ sandwich, according to Point Seven’s Luke Boland).
Brachetto d’Acqui
A still or sparkling sweet wine from the Piedmont region of Italy, Brochetto d’Acqui’s effervescence and low alcohol make it a lovely pick for weekend brunch, as do its notes of bright berries and a fresh, stony finish. “Make it your breakfast wine and pair it with Pain Perdu,” Hotel Chelsea wine director Claire Paparazzo suggests.
