Sweet Tasting Notes
A dessert wine guide for this year's holiday parties
Want to make this year’s holiday dinner truly unique? Add a dessert wine to your menu.
“Dessert wines offer more expression than coffee or a liquer,” says SARA COPELAND (above), co-owner of RED BANK WINE STORE in Mayfaire Town Center. “With a dessert wine, you get a taste that’s like the nectar of the gods. It’s the cap to the perfect meal.”
Dessert wines can either be served alone or with a dessert. When pairing a dessert wine with a dessert, the general rule is the wine should be sweeter than the dessert. Copeland, however, warns that too much sweetness can be overwhelming and recommends ensuring the dessert and wine complement each other.
For example, if you are serving a heavy dessert such as pumpkin pie or chocolate, go with a lighter wine, she recommends. Copeland also says party hosts can expand their dessert selections to include cheese trays or spicy hams, which can be successfully paired with dessert wines.
There are two types of dessert wines.
Fortified dessert wines are made by adding alcohol to the wine during fermentation.
Non-fortified dessert wines are made by using natural methods to concentrate the sugar in the grapes. Some grapes, for example, are allowed to develop a fungus called botrytis or noble rot, which shrivel the grapes. (Don’t let the name fool you. Botrytis wines are considered top-of-the-line in dessert wines – a reputation they earned for good reason.) Alternatively, the grapes are kept on the vine until the first frost or until they are extremely ripe.
No matter what dessert wine you choose, it will be a highlight of your holiday meal. Copeland recommends the following wines and the best desserts with which to pair them.
Fortified Wines
Sherry
Alvear Pedro Ximenez Solera 1927
This “dark brown/amber wine has notes of figs, toffee, caramel syrup, molasses and coffee,” according to Wine Advocate. The magazine, which gave the Solera 1927 a rating of 98, also says it is a “dense, super sweet, intense, rich, and an amazingly, unctuously textured, thick beverage to consume slowly and introspectively after a meal.”
Pair with dried fruits such as figs and dates, nuts, pecan or pumpkin pie, walnut tarts, or fruit cake. $28.99 a half bottle
Port
Ramos Pinto Late Bottled Vintage Port 2011
“Complex aromas and flavors of dark chocolate define this youthful wine,” says Wine Advocate. The magazine gave the wine a rating of 93 and said its “plum pudding and spice notes linger on the juicy finish.”
Pair with blue cheese, nuts, or dried fruit. $26.99 a bottle
Madeira
Broadbent Madeira Malmsey 10 year
This superb, full-bodied, rich wine has a sweet, rich chocolaty flavor and a concentrated bouquet, says Eric Copeland, co-owner of Red Bank Wine.
Pair with dark chocolate, dark chocolate mousse, ice cream, pastry with nuts and honey, or strawberries. $52.99 a bottle
Non-Fortified Wines
Sauternes
Château Doisy Daene Sauternes 2012 Barsac
Wine Spectator says this 91-rated wine is “a deliciously pure white wine that is graced with persimmon, tangerine and clementine notes as well as hints of kiwifruit pulp, quinine and honeysuckle.”
Pair with bleu cheese, foie gras, ibérico ham, or savory dishes. $38.99 a half bottle
Ice Wine
Dr. Loosen 2012 Eiswein
This “vibrant, racy dessert wine conjures flavors of densely packed pear, apple and guava and has an intense, nervy edge in the aroma,” Wine Spectator reports. It is “luscious, silky and juicy on the palate, and its bright acidity gives it a crisp, dynamic finish,” the magazine continues. It has a rating of 94.
Pair with cheese, fruit pies, hazelnuts, or dark chocolate. $86.99 a half bottle
Something Different
Jorge Ordonez & Co. 2014 Seleccion Especial
This wine, rated at 92, “entices with an exotic bouquet evoking peach and pear nectar, candied ginger, white flowers and a hint of honey. Juicy and focused on the palate, the wine offers intense tropical and pit fruit flavors, as well as brightening and tightening tangy acidity,” according to Vinous.
Pair with savoury dishes such as jamón serrano, caña de lomo, and other cured meats or foie grás. $27.99 a half bottle
Jorge Ordonez & Co. 2014 Victoria
Rated at 95 by Wine Advocate, the magazine says the 2014 Victoria is “an absolutely amazing, decadent, luxurious sweet wine with loads of honeysuckle, caramelized tropical fruits, hints of maple syrup and brown sugar and is fragrant with plenty of white flowery notes.”
Pair with foie gras, strong cheeses, ice cream desserts, or strawberries. $26.99 a half bottle
To view more of photographer Erik Maasch's work, go to ejmphotography.org.
