IS this wine dry? Yes ma’am, this wine is not sweet, I heard the server say. But I want a dry, sweet wine, the customer shot back. Overhearing the exchange made me realize how sometimes the word “dry” is still misunderstood. Just like sweet wine.
There are those who turn up their noses at sweet wine, having been led to believe that just the opposite is the only wine worth drinking, or that sweet wine is strictly for those new to wine and not for those with discerning palates. Perhaps, all they’ve encountered are the cheap, cloying sugar bombs (there are plenty out there). Or they haven’t realized that the range of sweet wines covers a broad spectrum—from those with just a whisper of sweetness that is barely there, to those that are super sweet, it’s like sipping liquid prunes or raisins.
Sweet wine is not necessarily dessert wine and made in most regions in the world where wine is made. (We’re talking wines made from grapes here, not those made from other fruits.) The easiest way to make sweet wine is to start with grapes that are naturally sweet in the first place.
Another way is by allowing the grapes to dry out into raisins, either on the vine or by drying them on racks or straw mats in the shade or under the sun. (Think of the sweetness of the juice from pressed raisins.) Or by leaving the grapes on the vine so late into winter that the grapes freeze. After harvesting, the grapes are then pressed quickly—the frozen water is retained in the press, yielding the concentrated, sweet grape juice.
When climatic conditions are right—sunny afternoons with moist, foggy mornings—grapes left late on the vine are infected by the fungus botrytis cinerea, also called “noble rot,” which sucks out the grapes’ water, thereby intensifying the sugars and flavors of the grapes. Because the fungus does not attack the grape bunches all at the same time, harvesting can require several trips over several days and, sometimes, berry by berry, too. Which is why many of the world’s most exquisite (and most expensive) sweet dessert wines are made with botrytized grapes—like Bordeaux’s Sauternes, the late-harvest Rieslings of Germany or Tokaji Aszu from Hungary.
And then it gets more complicated. Remember that wine is fermented grape juice—the yeasts convert the natural sugars in the juice into alcohol and carbon dioxide. When the yeasts are stopped from eating up all of the sugars in the grape juice, sweet wine is produced. Slightly sweet wines, or off-dry wines, are produced this way where the goal is not to make intensely sweet dessert wines, but to emphasize the fruitiness of the wine.
Another way of stopping fermentation is by refrigerating the fermenting grape juice, thereby chilling the yeasts into inactivity and then filtering out the yeasts. (A dose of sulfur dioxide gas or powdered sulfur salts also kills the yeasts and stops fermentation.) Or by adding alcohol or brandy to the grape juice, thereby boosting the alcohol in the partially fermenting grape juice, which, likewise, kills the yeasts and stops fermentation. The fermenting wine can also be centrifuged to eliminate the yeasts and stop fermentation. I told you it gets complicated.
So there is also ice wine, or eiswein, made from grapes frozen on the vine, Port from Portugal, vendange tardive (late harvest) wines from Alsace, Recioto della Valpolicella from the Veneto, the “stickies” of Australia made from Chardonnay or Riesling. There is sparkling Brachetto d’Acqui and Pedro Ximenez sherry you can sip as dessert in itself. There is Vouvray Demi-sec or moelleux from the Loire, slightly fizzy Moscato d’Asti from Piemonte, and the much-maligned White Zinfandel of California.
With its wide range of styles and sweetness levels, sweet wines work marvelously well on the dining table, with savory food (think cheese) or with dessert. The delicately sweet types make for an excellent apéritif. The idea is not to be turned off or be wary of sweet wines because of the memory of unfortunate encounters with the sugar bombs.
I’ve had well-chilled White Zinfandel with double cheeseburgers and French fries doused with ketchup. Brilliant. Pedro Ximenez sherry poured over vanilla ice cream is a delicious revelation. Try Moscato d’Asti with crispy okoy or with a warm fruit tart. With most cheeses, sweet wine is a winner. Now is a good time to embrace the sweetness of sweet wines. Just remember to drink them well-chilled.