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By The Glass Lyle Fujioka |
Some prefer to
sip dessertFor many, dessert means rich and decadent cakes, tarts or ice cream. Then there are those like Doug Sneed, our dessert wine specialist, whose sweet tooth can only be satisfied with a sticky. A sticky? That's a luscious, opulent and richly sweet wine just perfect as an alternative after-dinner enticement for those who, like Doug, wish to drink their dessert. It is also the perfect pairing for a meal-ending indulgence.
The vast array of choices in dessert wines is daunting and to discuss each type goes beyond the scope of this article. Our focus will be on the wine-making style of one of the most famous and desired stickies in the world, sauternes. The formula is deceptively simple. Grow your grapes, harvest them as late as possible when sugar content is highest, pray for noble rot (botrytis) for the exotic and intensifying effects it adds, press the grapes, stop the fermentation to maintain residual sugar and voila! you have sauternes. Sound simple? It decidedly is not. The risk of inclement weather, too much or too little acidity, crop pests ... these are just a few of the multitude of challenges.
But when everything goes right, a great dessert wine is one of the finest things to grace your palate. Take, for example, Chateau d'Yquem, the most famous and celebrated producer of sauternes. In great vintages, the intensity, depth and complexity of flavors in this wine transcend the issue of sweetness, creating a wine for all ages with the longevity and freshness of flavor to rival even the biggest red wines. Nirvana can be achieved when paired with its famous counterpart, fois gras, although hell comes when it's time to pay the bill. Yes, this wine like all great wines comes at a very high price. What's a dessert wine fan to do?
Fortunately, producers around the world are busily crafting dessert wines of subtle and lasting beauty, applying proven techniques to a dizzying variety of grapes. While these wines are not Chateau d'Yquem, they are certainly delicious and, above all, fun to experience without having to take out a bank loan.
Doing a dessert pairing? Keep in mind that the dessert generally should never be sweeter than the wine and that salty cheeses such as mature blues really sing with dessert wines. Served lightly chilled, these delicious wines may have you sipping rather than chewing dessert.
Here are some of our favorites (prices are for 375-millileter bottles):
Errazuriz Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2000 ($9.95): Errazuriz's unbelievable value from Chile glows with bright lilikoi flavors and citrus notes, ending with lingering acidity and a long finish.
Quady Essencia Orange Muscat 2001 ($10.45): This California delight shines with delicate orange-blossom aromas and flavors with honey accents.
Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2001 ($28.55): Sunny, ripe stone fruit, lime, limestone, zippy acidity and an endless finish make this late-harvest riesling from Germany's great 2001 vintage one not to be missed.
Chateau Guiraud Premier Cru Sauternes 1990 ($49): A gorgeous sauternes showing apricot and honeyed tropical fruit, married with hints of grilled hazelnut and well-integrated acidity.
Lyle Fujioka owns Fujioka's Wine Merchants. This column is a weekly lesson in wine pairing written by a rotating panel of wine professionals.
This column is a weekly lesson in wine pairing written by a rotating panel of wine professionals. Write to features@starbulletin.com
