Did you know that there are sweet wines for dessert? They are characterized by a sweet aroma, a taste of candied fruit and honey, and a low alcohol content.

How do you get to know these wines? Let's find out.

Making sweet dessert wines

Nowadays experienced winemakers know and use several ways of making wines, depending on the degree of sweetness and alcohol content. Let's take a closer look at them.

Method 1: Fortification

This is a method of making dessert wine, which results in an additional sweetening of the drink.

It consists of adding grape alcohol (“brandy”) to the wine.

Alcohol can be added either during fermentation, which increases the sweetness of the drink (due to the residual sugar), or after the fermentation process, which has the opposite effect making the wine dryer.

Yes, the alcohol content is also increasing, but this has a positive effect on the wines shelf life.

Method 2: Overripe grapes

Winemakers wait two months before harvesting ripe grapes, and they become overripe. And overripe grapes are known to be rich in natural sugars.

Method 3: Rotting

Winemakers do not harvest the grapes until they start to rot. This is when a mould called «Botrytis Cinerea» or «noble rot» appears on the outside of the grapes.

The rotting process reduces the amount of water in the grapes and increases the concentration of sugar.

Method 4: Natural freezing

This method is only possible in cold climates. When the air temperature drops and stays below zero for a long time, then the water in the grapes freezes. To avoid premature thawing, the grapes are harvested in the middle of the night. After pressing the grapes, the fermentation process begins. This process can take up to six months. This makes the grape juice becomes as concentrated and candied as possible.

Method 5: Drying

This method consists of drying the grapes on straw. It is also possible to hang them from the ceiling. The main thing is that it is done in a warm room behind closed doors.

What types of sweet dessert wines are there?

Moscato wine

Origin: Italy (Piedmont and Asti), USA (California), Australia.

Sweetness: semi-sweet

Taste: delicate and sweetly fruity (peach, lemon, orange, pear, honeysuckle) rich caramel is possible

Aroma: sweet citrus aroma (orange, pear, lemon)

Grapes: Nutmeg

Combination with food: meat dishes (chicken or steak), seafood and fish, salads, cheeses (Mature burrata cheese, Mozzarella, Grana Padano), dessert dishes (pie with fruit filling or chocolate)

Riesling wine

Origin: Germany, USA, Australia, Italy

Sweetness: Dry, semi-sweet or sweet

Taste: Apple, Citrus Fruits, Peach, Honey.

Fragrance: grapefruit, gooseberry and rose.

Grape Variety: Riesling

Combination with food: meat dishes (pork), seafood and fish dishes (Lobsters, scallops, crabs, fried fish), Cheese dishes (Goat and blue), desserts (Caramel, apple pie, cheesecake, chocolate)

And what is your favourite dessert?