What is a sweet or dessert wine?
Sweet wines, also called dessert wines, do not belong to a particular AOC, nor are they wines specific to a region or country, but they are a category that brings together a wide range of wines recognisable by the sweetness of their aromas and their sugar content. There are two types of sweet white wine: vins moelleux and vins liquoreux.
The moelleux are sweet white wines with a sugar content of between 10 grams and 45 grams per litre. These wines are recognisable on the palate because of their velvety softness and smoothness.
The liquoreux have a higher sugar content than the molleux. To be classified as a liquoreux, a white wine must contain more than 45 grams of sugar per litre. On the palate, liquoreux wines are very rich in sugar and alcohol.
How is a sweet or dessert wine vinified?
The Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN): botrytis or “noble rot”
To obtain its inimitable flavour, sweet white wine is produced from grapes selected for their advanced level of ripeness, which has given rise to botrytis cinerea, a fungus also known as noble rot. This fungus often appears thanks to late harvesting, which allows the fruit to develop as much as possible. But it is also essential to have a certain type of climate to encourage the appearance of botrytis: the ideal is to have misty mornings followed by sunny afternoons. In this way, the grapes quickly develop noble rot. These “grains nobles” - noble grapes - are then directly selected by hand for their qualities and vinified to produce wines that are generally liquoreux.
Passerillage, or “raisining”
Another technique also exists, and is used to make the famous Veneto wines in Italy, as well as the straw wines of the Jura: passerillage in French or apassimento in Italian, also known in English as raisining. This method involves harvesting the grapes late in the season and then leaving them to dry in the open air on racks to allow the noble rot to fully develop.
The Vendanges Tardives (late harvesting)
Late harvesting is a process used in Alsace in particular, but also in Germany under the name Spätlese. It involves harvesting the so-called noble grape varieties - Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Muscat and Riesling - several weeks after the official start of the harvest. Thanks to this process, the grapes reach a level of over-ripeness. These grapes, which are riper than normal, have extremely high levels of sugar and therefore a good level of alcohol. This process often produces vins moelleux.
Vins doux naturels (naturally sweet wines)
This process consists of obtaining a sweet wine by adding alcohol (usually wine brandy), which stops the fermentation process. The yeasts generally survive up to 16%, so the natural sugar is preserved and not transformed into alcohol. In France, the most famous vins doux naturels are found in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, with Maury and Banyuls, and in the Côtes du Rhône with Beaumes de Venise and Rasteau.
Vins de glace (France), Eiswein (Germany) or Icewine (Canada)
Very rare, these sweet wines follow a very special process which involves harvesting very ripe grapes picked when the vineyards have frozen. The temperature must be below 6 degrees. In Canada, harvest temperatures generally reach -10/-12 degrees. This process is interesting because the sweet juice only freezes at low temperatures, so the ice crystals in a frozen grape preserve all the sugar inside. When these crystals are retained in the press along with the pulp, all that remains is the juice, already sweetened by over-ripening, and further concentrated by the loss of frozen water. This process is used mainly in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but also across the Atlantic in Canada.
What is the sweetest dessert wine in the world?
Eiswein, vin doux naturel from the Rhône or Sauternes? None of these three types of dessert wine wins the prize for the sweetest white wine in the world. Far ahead of these three already very sweet wines are the Tokaj wines Aszù Eszencia and Tokaj Eszencia. Wonders of sweetness, these wines are produced in Hungary's Tokaj region using the Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN) method. The Tokaj Aszù Eszencia has over 180 grams of sugar per litre, while the Eszencia reaches a peak of sweetness with a minimum of 450 grams of sugar per litre and only 5% alcohol. These wines generally age for at least ten years in casks, where they develop into a veritable nectar, with sumptuous aromas of peach, orange and honey balanced by surprising acidity.
Which type of sweet or dessert wine is tasted as an apéritif?
While lively, crisp white wines are generally recommended as aperitifs, to awaken the taste buds without over-saturating the palate, some vins moelleux or liquoreux are particularly well-suited to this convivial occasion. An IGP Côtes de Gascogne will appeal to lovers of sweet wines, with its generous expression that can be enjoyed without any particular accompaniment. For those who prefer a more flexible wine, the vintages made from the Gewurztraminer grape variety produced in the Alsace Vendanges Tardives seem to be just the thing: these wines offer a wide range of flavours, both fruity and honeyed, without being too sugary. They go well with a wide range of dishes, adding a refined touch to your aperitifs.
Which are the best sweet or dessert wines?
Sweet white wines are highly prized by connoisseurs of fine wines because they demonstrate a certain level of mastery of the art of winemaking, while fully revealing the quality of the terroirs and the talent of the winemakers. There is a wide range of top-quality dessert wines to choose from, so it can be a bit tricky to know which appellation to go for if you want the very best. Here is a selection of the most famous appellations for the production of sweet wines, whether moelleux or liquoreux.
Sauternes
A sweet wine emblematic of the Bordeaux vineyards, Sauternes enjoys worldwide renown and is produced using the Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN) process. Anchored on the banks of the Gironde, this appellation produces prestigious wines. The Sauternes liquoreux are produced in soils influenced by limestone, clay and gravel, as well as high levels of humidity. Thanks to the grains nobles, the grapes retain all their residual sugar. It is recommended serving this wine at the end of a meal to appreciate its full potential, but it is also delicious paired with foie gras.
Barsac
Located on the left bank of the Ciron, this appellation has Sauternes in view, as it lies on the other side of the river. Thanks to its unique microclimate, botrytis thrives in Barsac, and the appellation's wines are also produced using the Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN) method. All AOC Barsac wines are eligible for the Sauternes AOC. The wines of this appellation are very fine moelleux wines, rich, smooth and generous, where the fruit evolves with finesse and elegance.
Côtes de Gascogne
The IGP Côtes de Gascogne is also highly regarded by connoisseurs, producing dessert wines from the South West of France. The production area is located in the Armagnac region and covers almost 15,000 hectares. This wine has won the hearts of wine lovers the world over, with almost 75% of its production volume exported internationally, making it one of the most widely exported white wines in the world. The ideal climatic and geological conditions, combined with the talent of the appellation's winemakers, produce wines with a delicious palette of peach, pineapple, mango, citrus fruit and a hint of honey.
Coteaux-du-Layon
In the Loire Valley, this appellation is renowned for its particularly rich and aromatic dessert wines. Made exclusively from the Chenin grape, Coteaux-du-Layon wines are both round and fresh, giving them great balance. Lovers of sweet wines will particularly appreciate their notes of honey, acacia, flowers and quince. The vintages of this appellation can be kept for over 40 years, a testament to their high quality.
Alsace Gewurztraminer (Vendanges Tardives)
In Alsace, sweet wines are made via the Vendanges Tardives or the Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN). Among the appellations using these vinification methods, the AOC Alsace gewurztraminer stands out for its excellent quality. While most of the wines from this appellation are dry wines, there are also a few produced using the Vendanges Tardives method, which are very fine vins moelleux. In Alsace, the Vendanges Tardives method meets very strict criteria, such as manual harvesting, particularly high natural sugar content, compulsory analytical and organoleptic examination and 18-month waiting period before obtaining the Vendanges Tardives appellation. This highly demanding vinification process produces wines of impressive aromatic concentration and richness. These cuvées go wonderfully well with foie gras, but also with more daring matches such as duck breast and exotic desserts.
Trockenbeerenauslese: German sweet wines
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) is a high-quality liquoreux produced in Austria and Germany using the Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN) technique. The literal translation of this word means selective harvesting (Auslese) of dried (Trocken) grapes (Beeren). The grapes used to make this wine are extremely ripe to the point of being dehydrated by botrytis, and are then harvested by hand, grape by grape. As a result of these extremely demanding conditions, these wines are only produced in great years and in very small quantities, which explains their prestige and rarity. These wines go wonderfully well with foie gras, as well as fruit-based desserts such as orange, kiwi or pineapple. It is also excellent as an apéritif, when you savour all its aromatic nuances.
“Organic” dessert or sweet wines
“Organic" wine refers to wines produced using organic methods. Organic wines are regulated and exclude the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers. Often associated with organic wines, biodynamic wines are subject to very strict specifications and are characterised by natural, non-interventionist farming that follows the rhythm of nature. There is a real advantage to buying “organic" or biodynamic sweet white wines for a number of reasons that are part of the trend towards more reasoned consumption.
“Organic” sweet wines and health
The wine-making process is subject to one major risk: oxidisation. Because of the bacteria incorporated into the wine during the maceration process, the addition of sulphites and particularly sulphur is necessary to kill off these undesirable yeasts and bacteria. In this way, the quality of the wine is preserved. The aim of organic wine with regard to this process is to reduce the quantity of sulphites added to the wine, as too much sulphite is bad for your health. Organic white wines contain 33% less sulphites than conventional sweet wines, and biodynamic white wines contain 47% less. Organic sweet wines also limit the absorption of residues of synthetic products, since these are generally banned.
“Organic” sweet or dessert wines and the environment
Synthetic products and chemicals have a long life cycle, which means that natural events such as rainfall carry them into waterways. This means that land animals and insects, as well as marine fauna, ingest these harmful chemicals. Chemicals are suspected of being responsible for the depletion of bees and birds. Generally speaking, all ecosystems and biodiversity are threatened by the use of these chemicals. Opting for an “organic” sweet white wine is therefore a way of helping to preserve the environment.
The taste of “organic” sweet or dessert wines
Biodynamic or organic farming does not alter the taste of the wines. On the contrary, “organic” and biodynamic white wines reveal a particularly fine, complex bouquet. This type of wine appeals to lovers of elegant, fresh and environmentally-friendly wines.
Where to buy a sweet or dessert wine?
Sweet wine covers a very wide range of vintages, including all wines containing more than 10 grams of sugar per litre. There are thousands of bottles in circulation on the international wine market today, so it can sometimes be tricky to know exactly what type of sweet wine suits your tastes. That's why Millésima selects for its customers the best dessert wines from among the moelleux and liquoreux unanimously recognised by critics and the finest connoisseurs for their quality. These exceptional vintages come directly from the stocks of renowned estates or châteaux and then rest in our cellars. Our wines are then brought to you by fast delivery direct from our cellars.
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