Sweet Wines
Sweet wines, pudding wines, dessert wines, call them what you will, but one thing for sure is that they all, not only, have high levels of residual sugar, after all fundamentally that is what makes sweet wines, ‘sweet’, but also their reception when offered to the uninitiated will generally be mixed.
When hosting various wine tastings, it is often my practice to conclude a tasting by sampling a little gem to complement the pudding, maybe to check the salty tang of a soft cheese or purely enjoy on its own for pleasure. Sweet wines are made in most of the world’s key wine producing regions; their individuality, possible intensity and luscious fruity notes can be so diverse - something for everyone. And yet often I witness inverted snobbery from those who claim not to like sweet wines, and yet these ‘bah- humbug’ kill-joys will often confess to having a penchant for a scoop of honey, a spoonful of jam, or even an intensely sweet humbug. That said, for many, and this includes the gastronomes from France, who do know a thing or two about food and wine, sweet wines are seen as the perfect complement to cheeses, pâtés and puddings alike. Think of one of the sweetest wines, that being port and how we happily associate this with salty stilton.
As with red, white and indeed rosé wines the extreme range of styles of these wines is equalled by the spectrum of colours, sweetness and honeyed floral notes offered by sweet wines. As someone who spends much time compiling hotel and restaurant wine lists, I will always try to encourage my customer to list at least three or maybe five different sweet wine options – wines to cover all eventualities. A light less cloying not too sweet wine such as a young sauternes to pair up with a creme brûlée or a pavlova. A classic Loire chenin blanc, such as Coteaux du Layon is ideal with fruit based mid-weight puds, and don’t forget the delicious German Auslese wines... so many options!
Many will be surprised that all white wines including sweet wines must have a degree of natural acidity. Every wine needs a punctuating full stop to mark the wine’s finish. Without acidity the finish will be dull and incomplete. The secret of maximising such a finish is understanding at what temperature each wine will be best served. A well-chilled riesling can accentuate the perceived acidity, in fact riesling is one of the few grapes that favours being served well-chilled. By contrast, if one is to serve a chenin blanc based sweet wine too cold, it will have a detrimental effect, the magical honey glow will be lost and all the fragrance will be suppressed. Continuing with the food match theme, rich fruit puddings and mid-weight to heavy puddings will in turn need a wine with concentration, maybe a touch of citrus spice to match, yet not overwhelm the pud. A wonderfully complex Hungarian Tokaji, the nutty slightly orange-peel style of a vin santo or maybe an Alsace Gewürztraminer could be a consideration... And then there is chocolate - rich chocolate is potentially such a hard food to match, dark soft and often bitter. To check the chocolate’s edge and also rise to the challenge of equalling the intensity and structure, possibly explore a Banyuls, a vin doux naturel or fortified wine from south western France.
Two thoughts to consider: luckily for Father Christmas, a half bottle of pudding wine neatly fits into a stocking; and remember, a meal without a pudding wine is not a real meal, it’s a missed opportunity.
Charles Steevenson