How to Buy Dessert Wine
Familiarize yourself with the different types of dessert wine., Choose a bottle size., Find a good place to purchase dessert wine., Read the label., Work with a wine merchant., Set a budget.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Familiarize yourself with the different types of dessert wine.
There are many different types of dessert wines.
They vary based on the grapes used and how they are prepared.
The dessert wines can be divided up as follows:
Noble rot wines:
This type of wine is made from rotten grapes.
The grapes are covered in a mold called Botrytis cinerea, commonly known as noble rot.
The mold removes water content from the grapes, concentrating the sugar.
Sauternes (Bordeaux, France), Riesling Auslese ("late picked") and beerenauslese (Germany), and trockenbeerenauslese are well-known noble rot dessert wines.
Ice wines:
Grapes are left on the vine late into the season until they freeze.
Freezing the grapes dehydrates the grapes, resulting in a very sweet wine.
Ice wines are rare and expensive.
Raisin wines:
Similar to ice and noble rot wines, winemakers produce raisin wines by letting grapes air dry on the vine to reduce the grapes' water content.
Check the label for “vin de paille” or “pasitto” Fortified wines:
These wines are made by adding alcohol during or after the fermentation process.
Stopping fermentation allows the wine to retain more of its natural sugars while the addition of spirits increases the alcohol content.
Well known fortified wines include Sherry, Port, and Madeira.
Late harvest wines:
Grapes are left on the vine until they get very ripe and sweet.
Common late harvest dessert wines include Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris, and Gewürztraminer. -
Step 2: Choose a bottle size.
Most dessert wine is sold in smaller 375 ml (12.7 oz.) bottles because dessert wines are so much richer and flavor intense than standard wines.A little bit goes a long way.
Larger sizes are available at greater cost; however, a smaller selection of wines is likely to be available if you choose to purchase a larger size.
When choosing the size consider the following:
Take into account that the standard pour when you serve dessert wine is 2 oz. (59.1 ml).
Estimate how much wine you will need based on the number of people you will be serving. , Wine can be sourced from many places but not all wine retailers will carry quality dessert wines or a large variety of such wines.
Check out the local supermarket, liquor store and chain wine stores but don't be afraid of looking at the more boutique or specialized wine selling retailers to broaden the possibilities of finding dessert wines.
For example, you might find a local wine merchant who has taken a particular interest in specializing in dessert wines.
Other more specialized places can include wine clubs and their catalogs, direct buying from a wine producer or buying online. , You can recognize a dessert wine by looking for key words on the label.
The phrases are often in their original language so it is helpful to know what you are looking for.
Here are some common words:"Vin de paille" is French for "straw wine" made with grapes that have been dried while still on the vine. "Passito" is an Italian wine made from dried raisins. “Vendage Tardive,” "auslese," and “Spätlese” are late harvest wines. "Demi-Sec" means "off dry" in French. "Amabile" means "slightly sweet" in Italian. "Semi Secco" means "off dry" in Italian. "Doux" means "sweet" in French. "Dolce" means sweet in Italian. "Dulce" means "sweet" in Spanish. "Moelleux" is "sweet" for some French wines. , Visit a liquor store that has a large wine selection and a knowledgeable staff.
Tell the staff how you plan to serve the wine, your price range, and any special flavors you may be looking for in a dessert wine.
If you are not looking for anything in particular, tell the staff the flavors you typically enjoy and ask them to pick something out for you.
For example, you may tell the staff that you like flavors like honey and exotic fruits.
They will then be able to find a wine that has those flavors. , It will be difficult to find a quality dessert wine for under $15.Dessert wine is generally more expensive than regular wine due to its more complicated production processes and because twice as many grapes are needed to make each bottle of wine compared to other wines.
Tell the staff at the liquor store how much money you are willing to spend.
You will have a lot of good options at the $15-$20 price range.You can also use the website Winesearcher to find dessert wines and see the different prices. -
Step 3: Find a good place to purchase dessert wine.
-
Step 4: Read the label.
-
Step 5: Work with a wine merchant.
-
Step 6: Set a budget.
Detailed Guide
There are many different types of dessert wines.
They vary based on the grapes used and how they are prepared.
The dessert wines can be divided up as follows:
Noble rot wines:
This type of wine is made from rotten grapes.
The grapes are covered in a mold called Botrytis cinerea, commonly known as noble rot.
The mold removes water content from the grapes, concentrating the sugar.
Sauternes (Bordeaux, France), Riesling Auslese ("late picked") and beerenauslese (Germany), and trockenbeerenauslese are well-known noble rot dessert wines.
Ice wines:
Grapes are left on the vine late into the season until they freeze.
Freezing the grapes dehydrates the grapes, resulting in a very sweet wine.
Ice wines are rare and expensive.
Raisin wines:
Similar to ice and noble rot wines, winemakers produce raisin wines by letting grapes air dry on the vine to reduce the grapes' water content.
Check the label for “vin de paille” or “pasitto” Fortified wines:
These wines are made by adding alcohol during or after the fermentation process.
Stopping fermentation allows the wine to retain more of its natural sugars while the addition of spirits increases the alcohol content.
Well known fortified wines include Sherry, Port, and Madeira.
Late harvest wines:
Grapes are left on the vine until they get very ripe and sweet.
Common late harvest dessert wines include Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris, and Gewürztraminer.
Most dessert wine is sold in smaller 375 ml (12.7 oz.) bottles because dessert wines are so much richer and flavor intense than standard wines.A little bit goes a long way.
Larger sizes are available at greater cost; however, a smaller selection of wines is likely to be available if you choose to purchase a larger size.
When choosing the size consider the following:
Take into account that the standard pour when you serve dessert wine is 2 oz. (59.1 ml).
Estimate how much wine you will need based on the number of people you will be serving. , Wine can be sourced from many places but not all wine retailers will carry quality dessert wines or a large variety of such wines.
Check out the local supermarket, liquor store and chain wine stores but don't be afraid of looking at the more boutique or specialized wine selling retailers to broaden the possibilities of finding dessert wines.
For example, you might find a local wine merchant who has taken a particular interest in specializing in dessert wines.
Other more specialized places can include wine clubs and their catalogs, direct buying from a wine producer or buying online. , You can recognize a dessert wine by looking for key words on the label.
The phrases are often in their original language so it is helpful to know what you are looking for.
Here are some common words:"Vin de paille" is French for "straw wine" made with grapes that have been dried while still on the vine. "Passito" is an Italian wine made from dried raisins. “Vendage Tardive,” "auslese," and “Spätlese” are late harvest wines. "Demi-Sec" means "off dry" in French. "Amabile" means "slightly sweet" in Italian. "Semi Secco" means "off dry" in Italian. "Doux" means "sweet" in French. "Dolce" means sweet in Italian. "Dulce" means "sweet" in Spanish. "Moelleux" is "sweet" for some French wines. , Visit a liquor store that has a large wine selection and a knowledgeable staff.
Tell the staff how you plan to serve the wine, your price range, and any special flavors you may be looking for in a dessert wine.
If you are not looking for anything in particular, tell the staff the flavors you typically enjoy and ask them to pick something out for you.
For example, you may tell the staff that you like flavors like honey and exotic fruits.
They will then be able to find a wine that has those flavors. , It will be difficult to find a quality dessert wine for under $15.Dessert wine is generally more expensive than regular wine due to its more complicated production processes and because twice as many grapes are needed to make each bottle of wine compared to other wines.
Tell the staff at the liquor store how much money you are willing to spend.
You will have a lot of good options at the $15-$20 price range.You can also use the website Winesearcher to find dessert wines and see the different prices.
About the Author
Melissa Jimenez
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow lifestyle tutorials.
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