the winery myself and am currently consuming the 2006 vintage . Mangos , peaches , citrus , candied orange peel , vanilla and floral notes . Iconic , and only produced in small quantities . For a 37.5cl bottle you are likely to pay , again depending on vintage , somewhere in the region of £ 40 - £ 45 .
DRIED GRAPE WINES
Dried grape , or passito wines as they are sometimes called , come from a technique traditionally used in Italy , Greece , and sometimes Austria . Healthy grapes , once harvested , are simply left to dry on straw mats or by hanging bunches from rafters . This dehydrates the grapes , concentrating the remaining sugar and flavours . There are many great examples of such wines .
For the purposes of this article try and seek out Vin Santo and Recioto Della Valpolicella . Vin Santo , or ‘ holy wine ’, is a type of dessert wine . It is most commonly found , I guess , in Italy and is traditionally made in Tuscany from white grape varieties such as trebbiano and malvasia . If you want to keep a look out for such wines from Italy , try the likes of Simonelli-Santi Orcia VinSanto dei Cappuccini . Recioto wines also come from Italy - Veneto this time . This is a sweet red wine made from dried corvina , rondinella and molinara grapes .
Argyros Estate ‘ Santorini Vinsanto ’ – this is not a Vin Santo from Italy . It , in fact , comes from the Greek island of Santorini . Some say this is arguably the original ‘ holy wine ’. Made from a blend of 80 % assyrtiko , 10 % aidani and 10 % athiri this is a luscious wine – toffee , caramel , raisin and very moreish . Again , harvested grapes are dried in the open air to produce a rich , juicy fruit , sweet and figgy wine . It has great balance due its acidity . For a 50cl bottle you will probably pay somewhere in the region of £ 36 - £ 45 a bottle ( again depending on vintage ). I bought my last bottles of this from Costco – at a lower price ( so if you have a Costco card , keep an eye out for it ).
Allegrini Recioto della Valpolicella Classico – from Veneto , this is a red wine that is almost back in colour . At the moment the 2008 vintage is still alive in the cellar ! The fruit is wonderful - blueberry , cherries , burnt caramel . On the nose you get masses of fruit , floral notes and a touch of peppery spice . This is an elegant wine with a lovely balance . Currently you will find the 2013 and 2015 vintages on sale for between £ 40 – £ 45 a 50 cl bottle .
ICE WINE
Real ice wine ( Eiswein ) is rare . It can only be made when a vineyard freezes ! When conditions suit , the grapes must then be harvested and pressed while still frozen . Perhaps unsurprisingly , Canada is the largest ice wine producer in the world . However , you can also find ice wines from regions in the colder parts of Germany , Austria , and Switzerland .
Most ice wines are made using riesling or vidal grapes , although any grapes can be used to produce an ice wine . They are unique wines and provide us with a honeyed and richly sweet wine , similar to a noble rot wine . Cold and refreshing . Here , whilst still ice wine is available , I have plumped for two outstanding sparkling ice wines .
Inniskillin Sparkling Icewine VQA – this comes from the Niagara Peninsula in Canada . The grapes here are allowed to fully ripen . They are then left on the vine , under netting , to freeze . As a result , the grapes dehydrate , and you get concentration of flavour , sugars and acid . I recently tasted the 2012 vintage . True to form , and script , it had a rich sweetness with plenty of honey , raisins , apricot and pear on show . Beautifully fresh and balanced – and certainly not overpowering . For a 37.5 cl bottle you will be paying in the region of £ 50 - £ 55 a bottle .
Peller Estate Sparkling Ice Cuvée – again from Niagara in Canada , comes this unique sparkling wine . It is phenomenal . It is a wine where the final adjustment to the wine is made by adding ice wine , from frozen grapes , which gives the wine a wonderful complexity and sweetness . It is not as sweet or viscous as the Iniskillin Sparkling Icewine . It is a bit more like your normal sparkling wine or champagne , but is not as dry as a normal brut champagne or sparkling wine . It is a delicate , soft , slightly sweet wine with notes of honey and citrus fruit . Everyone I have ever served with this wine has been blown away by it . At £ 30 a bottle it is , once again , worth every penny . A hidden gem of a wine .
The variety of sweet and dessert wines around today is astonishing . I certainly cannot do justice to them all here . For example , I have not talked about wines from Banyuls in southern France , or some of the great sweet wines made from riesling , nor the great Hungarian Tokay Aszu wines . Perhaps another time .
All of the wines above can be pricey . They are pricey for a reason – not only can they be expensive to produce , they are truly fine in every sense of the word . They are worth every penny . May be for a special occasion ? But one thing I would say is this – they are not just for drinking with your dessert . In fact , I never really drink sweet or dessert wines with a dessert . Often I drink them on their own – often as an aperitif . Often I just drink them with a plate of cheese – blue is the best for these , but any will do . Perhaps best of all – pour some PX ( the Turkey Flat is brilliant for this ) over a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream in a bowl . Magic – for a magical time of year !
Happy Christmas !
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