How to Find Sweet Wine

There are plenty of excellent sweet wines.

Whether you dislike the taste of dry wines or you are hosting an event for people who prefer sweet wines, relying on personal recommendations can be difficult because each person has a particular taste. To find sweet wine to serve at your next dinner, consider different types of wine commonly available at liquor and wine specialty stores.

Instructions

1. Consider your options. Before you start shopping for sweet wine, consider the purpose of the wine as well as your own tastes. Sweet wine comes in many forms and has a specialized vocabulary. Sweet white wine is sometimes called "off-dry white wine," while sweeter red wines are called "fruity." Sweet pink wines are known as "blush" wines. If you are searching for a sweet wine, such as port, to serve after dinner, you are looking for a "dessert wine."

2. Check with local retailers. You can get excellent recommendations for different wine types from specialty wine stores in your area. When you are examining their selection, listen to the salesperson's advice, but also consider the region where the wine was produced. German Rieslings, for example, are often excellent off-dry white wines. Also factor in the price and other options the salesperson offers. If there is a wine bar in your area, or a regular bar with a particularly good selection of wine, ask the sommelier or bartender for their recommendations, which you can sample.

3. Comparison shop. After talking to one or two specialty stores or sampling wines at a wine bar, you might also visit grocery stores or bulk-liquor stores in your area, where the same wines can often be found for much less.

References

• Wines: Sweet Wine Recommendations