Uncorked

Dessert Wines

Take Alan’s recommendations and end your meal with a dessert wine.

Desserts serve a definite biological purpose. I know we look forward to dessert as a sweet reward for a dinner well-eaten, but in actuality the sugar coats the tongue, signaling the stomach to start digesting. So when a chocolate soufflé sounds too filling you can turn to many dessert wines that create the same effect.

One popular style of dessert wine is the fortified variety. In this class of wine the fermentation process is stopped by adding a clear spirit or brandy to the mix. The spirit or brandy is often distilled from the same type of grape that is being fermented. Port is the most available and probably most well-known style of fortified wine. Port comes from the Douro Valley in northern Portugal, one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Other countries have their versions of fortified wine, as well. From Spain we get Sherry. The Pedro Ximenez grape is a sweet variety. Madeira, made from the Boal grape, is another well-known Spanish fortified wine. In France the wines known as Muscat Beaumes-de-Venise or Banyuls are tasty examples. One thing all of these fortified wines have in common is how well they accent stinky cheeses and nuts for an end of the meal experience; try pairing them with Stilton or Gorgonzola.

Another style of dessert wine comes from the intentional introduction of mold. While Botrytis sounds like it should prevent wrinkles, it actually encourages them in grapes. Under the right conditions, grapes get just enough humidity to start the Botrytis mold growing, which shrinks the grapes, concentrating the juices and sugars. There has to be warmth after infection or growers end up with gray rot (which is as bad as it sounds). Besides shrinking the grape, Botrytis also adds a light honey flavor to the final blend. There are many places around the world where this process is used but the most famous is Sauternes, which is a region of Bordeaux, France. Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc are the most widely used varietals here because they have less original flavor and take the mold well. One of the more expensive styles of this wine is the Tokaj, from Hungary. This wine is made mostly of Aszu grapes, which are delicious and expensive treats. Australia also produces dessert wines, nicknamed “stickies,” in this category. These are more value-oriented dessert wines than the others included here.

Late harvest wine is another common style of dessert wine. Allowed to stay on the vines longer than a normal harvest, the grapes pick up more sugars as they begin to shrivel. Also, the sun helps dehydrate them, which concentrates the flavors even more. In Germany the best of these is the Trockenbeerenauslese which literally means "selected harvest of dried berries." In Italy, Vin Santo is produced by using grapes that are placed on mats left in the sun, basically having the same effect as leaving grapes on the vine. Late harvest wines can be found in most of the world wine-producing regions. Icewine is a slight exception, however, because it can be produced only in places where the grapes can freeze on the vine for more than 3 days in a row. These grapes are frozen to create the shrinkage and concentration of flavors.

However you find them, remember they are not just lush, full bodied wines but they are doing your body a favor. Enjoy and start digesting right today!!

Alan Hagedorn, Royal Liquors, 103rd Street Location

Alan Hagedorn works at Royal Liquors 103rd Street location, where you can join his loyal following. He has certification from both Court of Master Sommelier and the Society of Wine Educators. He can be reached at 816-942-8888. Ger even more great wine advice from Alan from his blog www.winetheblog.blogspot.com.