Dessert wine: red and white wines with a pleasant residual sweetness
The term dessert wine describes both white and red wines, which have a very sweet aroma due to their residual sweetness and therefore go particularly well with sweet dishes. The grapes used all have a very high must weight. The special sweetness comes from the high proportion of its own sugar.
The different types of dessert wines
A special characteristic of the dessert wine is its high residual sweetness. There are different types:
• Beerenauslese & Trockenbeerenauslese
For the production, fully ripe grapes are used, which in most cases are already affected by noble rot.
• Straw wine
Dried berries are used to make this dessert wine. The wine is made from raisined grapes, which are stored on straw mats after the harvest. Hence it got its typical name. As the water evaporates during the drying process, the sugar content is increased at the same time. However, the term "straw wine" is protected by Austria and Italy.
• Ice wine
To make ice wine, the winemaker needs a lot of courage and a willingness to take risks. The grapes hang longer than usual on the vine until outside temperatures of around -7 ° C are reached. This is around January or February, the autumn. If it is not cold enough, however, the harvest will fail for the winemaker and the grapes will die. Freezing the berries on the vine creates a very dense concentration of the ingredients in the berries and, in parallel, a rarely high degree of acidity
A large part of the dessert wines only have a low alcohol content, which also increases the residual sweetness. Sometimes the winemakers add alcohol to their dessert wines to stop fermentation so that a fuller aroma is created.
The perfect accompaniment to a sweet dessert
While dry and heavy red wines are drunk with an equally heavy lunch, dessert wines round off the menu at the end. The most important principle for a successful dinner is: The wine must be at least as sweet as the food. If YOU were to drink a dry wine with a raspberry sorbet, it would taste very sour and almost inedible.
The best place to buy good dessert wine is Vinigrandi
When choosing dessert wine, it's easy to make a mistake. Trust our hand-picked range of over 700 quality wines, all of which we have tasted and selected for you. All of the wines in our shop meet the high quality standards that our business is based on. Would you like to taste a dessert wine on site? Then we look forward to your visit to our wine shop in the city of Berlin. We send our goods online free of charge from an order value of € 50.00.
FAQ: Interesting facts about dessert wine
How is the dessert wine drunk?
The dessert wine is mostly enjoyed chilled, but not straight from the refrigerator. The optimal drinking temperature is between the room and the refrigerator temperature and around 12 to 16 ° C.
Which dessert wines are there?
The best-known types of dessert wine include muscatel, Tokaj or Samos wine.
How are dessert wines optimally stored?
To extend the shelf life of dessert wines, they can be stored in the refrigerator. But don't forget to get the wine out in good time before enjoying it.
How long can dessert wines keep?
Dessert or sweet wines were once invented by sailors who were looking for a way to make wine more durable. Depending on the alcohol and sugar content, they can be enjoyed on average for a few weeks. You can recognize a spoiled dessert wine, for example, by a hissing sound when opening or by the formation of bubbles.
What do dessert wines cost?
The prices for a dessert wine can vary considerably. You should calculate between 10 and 25 euros for a good bottle.
