Tokaji AszГє is a wine from Hungary made with Furmint grapes. There are many popular types of dessert wines made from noble rot grapes.ДЄ group of French Appellations in and around Bordeaux including Sauternes, Barsac, Cadillac, and Monbazillac that use SГ©millon and Sauvignon Blanc in a rich, golden-hued sweet wine. While it sounds (and looks) disgusting, noble rot adds unique flavors of ginger, saffron, and honey to sweet wines. Noble rot is a type of spore called Botrytis cinerea that eats fruits and vegetables. That being said, itвЂ™s popular to find late-harvest wines using Chenin Blanc, SГ©millon, and Riesling grapes. In Alsace, late harvest is called вЂњVendage Tardive,вЂќ and in Germany itвЂ™s referred to as вЂњSpГ¤tlese.вЂќДЄny grape left on the vine can be used for late harvest wines. As grapes hang on the vine longer in the season they become even sweeter and more raisinated, resulting in grapes with concentrated sweetness. Late harvest means exactly what itвЂ™s called. There are several ways to produce richly sweet dessert wines and you can understand them better by how theyвЂ™re made.

Some of these wines are historically important including Hungarian Tokaji (вЂtoe-kyeвЂ™) which was loved by the Tzars of Russia South African Constantia which was an obsession of the Dutch and English and French Sauternes which was loved by Americans in the early 1800вЂ™s. Many of these wines can age 50+ years because sweetness and acidity preserve their fresh flavor. Richly sweet wines are made with the highest quality grapes in an unfortified style.

This style of Viognier is found specifically from Condrieu AOP from the RhГґne Valley) in France. However, as an aromatic grape variety, occasionally you can find it in a fruit-driven style smelling of peaches and perfume. Viognier for the most part, is not sweet. Pay attention to labels when buying Chenin Blanc because many South African and French producers create dry versions that taste more like a dry Sauvignon Blanc. Classic porch wine and well-loved with sausages.Д¬henin Blanc is commonly made in a sweeter style in the US and itвЂ™s also produced in large amounts in South Africa and the Loire Valley of France. A wine with high natural acidity which helps cut the sweet taste.ДЄ less common variety also from Germany and found in parts of Oregon that has floral aromas with slightly lighter acidity. A GewГјrztraminer pairs excellently with fruit tarts.ДЄ highly floral wine with moderate alcohol thatвЂ™s commonly found in Alsace, Alto-Adige (Italy), California and New Zealand.ДЄvailable in both dry styles (common in Australia, Alsace and the US) as well as sweeter styles more commonly available from Germany. For instance, consider GewГјrztraminer: this wine is known for its lychee and rose petals aromas. Lightly-sweet wines are best enjoyed as close to the vintage date as possible, save for rare examples, like German Riesling, which age quite well!Д®xpect these wines to be exploding with fruit flavors and well suited for fruit-based and vanilla-driven desserts. Many of these sweet wines pair well with spicy foods like Indian or Southeast Asian cuisine. Lightly sweet wines are refreshingly sweet perfect for a warm afternoon. When looking for sweet dessert wine Champagnes and other sparklers, keep your eyes peeled for these words on the label:

This tricks our brain into thinking they taste sweeter too! For instance, a Demi-Sec (aka вЂњSemi SeccoвЂќ) Moscato tastes sweeter than a Demi-Sec Champagne even though both may have the same amount of sugar. The carbonation and high acidity in sparkling wine makes it taste less sweet than is actually is! Certain grape varieties smell sweeter than others. Explore all five styles for a deep dive into dessert wines.

This guide outlines the 5 styles and includes examples of each. There are hundreds of different types of dessert wines available in the market, but most fall into 5 main styles. The result is a rich wine sweetened with natural grape sugars. There are several ways do stop fermentations, including super-cooling the wine or adding brandy to it. Sweet wine comes from extra-sweet grapes! To make a sweet wine, the fermentation is stopped before the yeast converts all grape sugars into alcohol.