W&W Wine Guide - Dessert Wine

W&W Wine Guide - Dessert Wine

There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal, as opposed to the white fortified wines (fino and amontillado sherry) drunk before the meal, and the red fortified wines (port and madeira) drunk after it. Thus, most fortified wines are regarded as distinct from dessert wines, but some of the less strong fortified white wines, such as Pedro Ximénez sherry and Muscat de Beaumes-de- Venise, are regarded as honorary dessert wines. In the United States, by contrast, a dessert wine is legally defined as any wine over 14% alcohol by volume, which includes all fortified wines - and is taxed more highly as a result. This dates back to a time when the US wine industry only made dessert wines by fortification, but such a classification is outdated now that modern yeast and viticulture can produce dry wines over 15% without fortification, yet German dessert wines can contain half that amount of alcohol.

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Methods of Production Makers of dessert wines want to produce a wine which contains high levels of both sugar and alcohol, yet the alcohol is made from sugar. There are a number of ways that winemakers increase sugar levels in the final wine. Firstly and most obviously, they grow grapes so that they naturally have sugar to spare for both sweetness and alcohol. Secondly, they add sugar, either before fermentation as sugar or honey (Chaptalization), or after fermentation as unfermented must (Süssreserve). Thirdly, they can add alcohol (typically brandy) before all the sugar is fermented, this is called fortification. Alternatively winemakers can remove water to concentrate the sugar. In warm climates, this is achieved by air drying the grapes to make raisin wine (a huge favourite here at Whitmore & White). However, in frosty climates, they are able to freeze out some of the water to make ice wine, which is widely produced in countries like Canada. In damp temperate climates, they allow a fungal infection, Botrytis cinerea, to desiccate the grapes with noble rot, a method typically used in France. Graham Simpson Wine & Spirits Buyer, Whitmore & White