THE CURIOUS QUAFFER
SWEET AND STICKY
Over the years I have known many people , including family members and many good friends , who have turned their nose up on being offered a glass of sweet or , as some call it , dessert wine . Once upon a time , a long time ago , I fell into that category myself . The reason , true for so many things in life I guess , is that the experience was ruined by drinking some lousy cheap rubbish as a youngster !
The truth is , though , that some of the world ’ s best , most celebrated and most highly coveted wines fall into the sweet category today . I have long been a convert . As we approach the Christmas season , and the winter months ahead , there can be little better than a glass or two of something from the sweet or sticky stable in front of the fire .
There are literally hundreds of different types of sweet or dessert wines available today . Whilst sweet , they are not all in the sticky category . Some are delightfully refreshing . Many can be , indeed should be , served chilled . These wines now come from just about every corner of the globe and provide us with a mouth-watering range of different styles and tastes . Many of these wines are made from white grapes - think here grapes like the chenin blanc grape in the Loire Valley and in South Africa , the semillon grape in Bordeaux and in Australia , the muscat grape used all around the Mediterranean basin , South Africa and Australia and the riesling grape in Germany , Alsace and Austria ( to name but a few ). There are red versions too – most obviously , perhaps , port .
As well as different countries , different wine regions and different grapes , we also have a variety of different methods when it comes to the way in which these wines are made . So , this month , let ’ s have a look at what I guess we can call different , subcategories , of sweet or dessert wines - fortified wines , late harvest / noble rot wines , dried grape wines and ice wine . All wonderful in their own way . All sumptuous . All for drinking , not only in front of the fire at this time of year , but in my view throughout the whole year too .
FORTIFIED WINES
As the name suggests , these are wines where the level of alcohol has been significantly increased by the addition of alcoholic spirit ( normally brandy ) either during or shortly after fermentation . If a wine is fortified before fermentation is finished , the wine will be sweet as there will still be sugar left in the wine itself . If a wine is fortified after fermentation it will be dry . The addition of such spirit was originally to ensure a wines longevity and to stop it turning into a bottle of vinegar . Perhaps stating the obvious – they are normally all high in alcohol .
The two most notable producers of fortified wines , I guess , are Spain and Portugal – just think sherry , port and madeira . However , there are many other great fortified wines that we should all turn our attention to as well . The world really is your oyster when it comes to these wines . From me , this month , a few suggestions from the cellar :
Turkey Flat Pedro Ximénez - sherry is one of the greatest , coolest and most versatile dessert wines of the world . It ’ s true home is Jerez , in south western Spain . The sweet varieties of this great wine are made from sun dried pedro ximénez ( PX ) or muscatel grapes . However , this wine does not hail from Spain ; it comes from the fabulous Turkey Flat winery in the Barossa Valley , Southern Australia . Retailing at around the £ 20 a 37.5cl bottle , this is almost pale for a PX , is full of complexity and flavour ( orange , marmalade and citrus to name but a few ). It , remarkably , almost has a freshness to it . Everyone I have ever served with this fabulous wine has either come back for more or has actually gone about purchasing their own . Magical .
Krohn Lagrima White Port – I guess we all think red when it comes to port . This wine , though , is a white version . Coppery in colour , this is a wonderfully rich , but mellow wine . Full of flavour and complexity – caramel , citrus , apricot , honey , beeswax , nuts . I always drink this wine chilled – in fact straight out of the fridge . You could even
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