How to Identify Dessert Wine

Think about serving wine after your next gourmet meal. This culinary practice has grown in popularity in recent years. Sales of dessert wine have increased by almost two thirds. Dessert wine holds a legitimate place alongside standard table wine on store shelves. Scan the label for several features to correctly identify dessert wine.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Confirm the alcohol content. Dessert wine has a high alcohol content. It can range from 15 to 24 percent.

2. Verify the sugar content. Dessert wine makers delay picking grapes to drive up the natural sugar levels. Label descriptions usually contain the word sweet.

3. Check for flavors. Some of the most popular dessert wine taste of berries, peaches, caramel, chocolate or nuts.

4. Look for the terms Sherry, Port, Marsala, Madeira or Vin Doux Naturel. These indicate fortified dessert wine. Their alcohol content is elevated by the infusion of brandy or another grape alcohol during production.

5. Take note of the words Sauternes, Beerenauslese, Eiswein, Trockenbeerenauslese, Champagne, Moscato d'Asti or Vin Santo. These indicate nonfortified dessert wine. Their high alcohol content is achieved through concentration of the juice prior to fermentation.

6. Expect a small bottle. Wineries commonly bottle dessert wine in half bottles called splits or tenths. They hold 375 ml or about four 3 oz. glasses.

7. Anticipate a screw top. Many wineries use this closure instead of corks for small bottles of dessert wine. A cork doesn't always keep air out when the bottle neck is short. This increases the chances of the wine going bad.

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