From bright citrus to rich raisin, discover wines that add the perfect start or finish to any meal
The pairing of food and wine should be a sensory experience that is not only enjoyable, but also memorable. The choice of wine to match the style of food almost always focuses on the main course, most often preparing the palate for the biggest flavours of the meal. The synergy between a good wine and its food pairing enhances both. The right wines can also place parentheses around a meal making it a start and finish akin to the covers of a good book.
An aperitif is grounded in the idea that it is an appetite stimulant. It’s also not uncommon to add wine alongside cheeses or a sweet dessert to increase the satisfaction of the entire meal. There is a seemingly endless choice of the ports and sherries that appear on dessert menus. But this limited selection can be a missed opportunity to explore the world of semi-sweet and sweet wines that span the globe.
Read Also: Sherry explained: A fortified wine experiencing a global renaissance
Ranging from bright and fresh citrus with crisp acidity, to rich raisin and intense dates and walnuts, Old and New World countries offer a spectrum of flavours from indigenous to introduced grapes. In order to achieve a bottle of essence liquid, so much care and attention is lavished on the viticulture of the fruit, so it’s not surprising that the subtlety of the finished wines is exquisite.
In many vineyards, harvesting is done by hand rather than machine, and in some cases, multiple passes are made along the vines to select not just bunches of grapes, but one or two grapes at a time, individually. Meticulous attention to detail, patience, and understanding are what can turn the ordinary grape into a bottle of sweet inspiration.
Come on a journey around the world and take a peek at the myriad flavours and styles certain to please the most discerning palates. We will make stops in the Old and New World, selecting some of the more well-known varietals and some that may need a little sleuthing to find.
As the holiday season approaches and there are many gatherings and festivities in the offing, now is a great time to take a look through the wine selections available in stores and find something that will make the start or end of a meal even more enjoyable.
France
Loire – The Loire Valley is home to some of the most world-renowned chenin blanc. It is typically made into a dry, lean, citrus driven quaff, but in certain AOCs, the sweet chenin blanc is equally beautiful. Some of the most well known originate in a small AOC called Quarts de Chaume. This particular area lies within another AOC that also specializes in sweet chenin blanc. Both produce some of the finest, intensely flavourful wines that are able to age well. They bring notes of dried and candied fruits such as pineapple or tropical fruits and caramel to the nose and palate. This is excellent wine for starting a meal and can open the palate to any food.
The French classic sweet wines are from Sauternes and can also be the most expensive.
By far the smallest of the AOCs in the Loire, also subsumed in Coteaux du Layon, is Bonnezeaux. Producing some intensely flavoured and aromatic wines, the grapes are forced into concentrating their sugars by the presence of Botrytis cinerea, also known as Nobel Rot. This natural process occurs in many grapes and has been harnessed the world over to make some of the most compelling tastes in sweet wines. Bonnezeaux sweet chenin has a nose and palate of orange rind, honey and a floral bouquet.
There are several other AOCs in the Loire Valley, including Vouvray, that produce excellent sweet and semi-sweet wines that are great as an aperitif or digestif.
Example:
- Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume, 2017 – $134 CAD, approximately $97 USD
Southwest France – In this region of France there are two main areas that produce sweet wines. Banyuls and Rivesaltes. They lie in and around Roussillon. The fortification of Banyuls wine, using distilled alcohol spirit from the grapes themselves, stops fermentation and therefore allows the natural sugar in the grapes to be retained. The main grape is grenache noir but other grapes are often included, such as mourvèdre. Because fermentation ceases, the aging of Banyuls sweet wine leads to the development of different flavours – depending on the aging time. Two main styles emerge. A short aging period allows the wine to retain freshness, and this is referred to as Banyuls Rimage. It has flavours of ripe cherry, raspberry, and blackberry, and sometimes rich fig notes. Longer ageing for a minimum of five years produces Banyuls Traditionnel. The longer ageing process adds dried fruits, nuts and caramel flavours to the wine.
It’s not uncommon to add sweet wines alongside cheeses as an appetite stimulant.
Rivesaltes lies further southwest of the Rhone Valley. Fortified wines are also produced here, again focused on grenache and most often blended with macabeu. Small amounts of muscat as an accessory grape are permitted. Flavours of dried fruits and nuts and significant complexity are brought to the fore by ageing in glass bottles called Bonbonnes, or in wooden barrels. The long finish on Rivesaltes wine is a superb accompaniment to the richness of cheeses and sweet desserts.
Examples:
- Arnaud de Villeneuve Ambré 20-Year-Old Grande Reserve Rivesaltes – $44 CAD, approximately $32 USD
- Muscat De Rivesaltes Tradition, 2021 – $22 CAD, approximately $16 USD
Bordeaux – The French classic dessert wines are from Sauternes and can also be the most expensive. The French classification system for Graves has only one Premiere Cru Supérieur and that is Château d’Yquem from Sauternes. It is world famous and since its inclusion in the 1855 Classification it has remained the only wine in its class. This is reflected in the higher prices this wine commands and is often cellared and collected.
Others hale from the AOCs of Cérons and Barsac, also in the Sauternais region. Made from sauvignon blanc and semillon grapes, the wines are aromatic, honeyed and citrusy, fresh and fruity, and are complex and intense. Serving as an aperitif or after a meal, they are at a very approachable price point.
Old and New World countries offer a spectrum of flavours from indigenous to introduced grapes.
Across the Garonne River from Sauternes lie the AOCs of Cadillac, Loupiac, and Sainte-Croix-du-Mont. These right bank AOCs make sweet wines from sauvignon blanc and sémillon and to a lesser extent, muscadelle. The wines are botrytised, not fortified, and characteristically have some commonalities such as flavours of honey, stone fruits or citrus, with the most minerality expressed by those from Sainte-Croix-du-Mont – where the grapes grow on soils that are high in limestone. The lack of notoriety of these areas makes the wines very affordable, and a great opener or closer for almost any meal.
Examples:
- Château Coutet, 2019, Barsac – $65 CAD, approximately $47 USD
- Château Doisy-Védrines, 2020, Barsac – $34 CAD, approximately $24.50 USD
Hungary
World famous, sweet, Hungarian Tokaji is made primarily from furmint and hárslevelű. They are botrytised and hand picked so the best of the grapes is selected. The sweetness is expressed in the wine’s description as puttonyos on a scale of 3 to 6. The most widely consumed is Tokaji Aszú which has flavours of apple, pear, honey, and depending on the hárslevelű in the blend, it may also have floral and spice notes. This is best served chilled as a dessert wine.
Sweeter still is Tokaji Eszencia. This wine is not made every year. Rather, in exceptional vintages when the grapes are initially pressed, the first run juice is collected and separated to ferment – which may take years. This rarity is a coveted luxury.
Examples:
- Royal Tokaji Red Label 5 Puttonyos, Tokaji Aszú, 2017 – $70 CAD, approximately $50 USD
- Dominium Tokaji Eszencia, 2008 – $296 CAD, approximately $213 USD
Italy
The diversity and extensive grapes grown in Italy lend themselves to sweet wines from all over the country. In Tuscany, Vin Santo is made from the trebbiano and malvasia grapes which produce a wine rich in honey, nut, and dried fruit flavours. The grapes are mat dried before they are pressed, and the concentrated juice gives the wine its intensity.
A sparkling, sweet wine from the Piedmont area is moscato d’Asti which is well known across the globe. The stone fruit and sparkle wake up the palate before a meal.
In Veneto, the red dessert wine is called Recioto della Valpolicella. The corvina and rondinella grapes are not fully dried, but sufficiently so to intensify the flavours of cherry and chocolate which make the wine a best friend of desserts made with chocolate.
There are, of course, other wines made in the north and south of Italy, including the isle of Sicily. The flavour profiles are as diverse as the soils on which the grapes grow. They range in price from very affordable to highly priced.
Examples:
- Podere Il Palazzino Vin Santo del Chianti Classico, 2007 – $83 CAD, approximately $60 USD
- Viticcio Vin Santo del Chianti Classico Occhio di Pernice – $39 CAD, approximately $28 USD
- Masi Angelorum Recioto della Valpolicella Classico, 2018 – $31 CAD, approximately $22 USD
Germany
The riesling grape is front and centre in the production of German sweet wines. The two sweetest styles are Beerenauslese (BA) and Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA). These are both based on botrytised berries that have been hand selected and the TBA version uses the driest berries. Because riesling has such a high acidity, even when the sweetness is concentrated as in BA, the wine has freshness and allows the honey and tropical fruit notes to come through. The further concentration of flavour in TBA is the result of long years, sometimes decades, of ageing. The fruit flavours are dried fruits, honey and caramel.
Much like Eiswein from Germany, Icewine is a staple of Canadian wine production.
The product of harvesting frozen riesling grapes and pressing while the ice is retained in the grapes produces Eiswein. The wine expresses concentrated stone and citrus fruit notes and a freshness to accompany its sweetness. Eiswein, BA and TBA make excellent dessert wines and are paired very well with cheeses and fruits. Many of these wines are affordable and very good quality.
Examples:
- Anselmann Ortega Beerenauslese, 2020 – $24 CAD, approximately $17 USD
- Kracher Weinlaubenhof Zwischen den Seen No. 3 Scheurebe Trockenbeerenauslese, 2018 – $93 CAD, approximately $67 USD
Spain
Of course, sherry in all its forms, and particularly its sweetest, Pedro Jimenez, is the primary and most well-known of the sweet wines from Spain. There is another worth a mention, although outside Spain it is not as widely acknowledged. Cava Dulce is a sparkling wine typically made from macabeo, xarel-lo, and parellada grapes. This can serve as an effervescent opener to any meal offering flavours of stone fruits, honey and citrus. This form of Cava is particularly hard to find outside Spain.
South Africa
Of historic significance is Vin de Constance made from muscat and petits grains blanc. It is thought of as a new world wine, although its production dates back to the 17th Century. When the grapes are left on the vine to dry it concentrates the sugars and the resulting wine shows flavours of stone fruit, citrus peel, and caramel. The freshness of the wine’s acidity is retained due to the cooler nighttime climate in which the grapes are grown. This is best as a dessert wine and while not inexpensive, it is a wonderful partner for fruity desserts. Again, very difficult to find.
Example:
- Klein Constantia Vin de Constance, 2014 – $140 USD
Canada
A staple of Canadian wine production is Icewine mainly made from riesling and vidal blanc. Much like German Eiswein, riesling Icewine from Ontario or British Columbia is a high acidity grape that releases stone fruit, citrus and honey flavours. This is more delicate than the vidal version which has a higher viscosity and a thicker skin. The latter allows vidal to withstand more of the winter temperatures while retaining its integrity. It also means that vidal based wines are more viscous with less acidity. However, both wine styles are at home as dessert wines, but the freshness of riesling makes it a better aperitif. There is a wide range of pricing for these wines with riesling Icewine typically being more expensive than the vidal style.
Examples:
- Inniskillin Vidal Icewine – $55 CAD, approximately $40 USD
- Inniskillin Icewine VQA Holiday Duo, 2022 – a duo of Riesling and Vidal 200ml each – $69
– Gillian Marks, PhD. is a contributing editor for VineRoutes
