What Are Dessert Wines?

Series Summary

Wine is made from the fermentation of grape juice and is made all over the world. Archaeologists believe wine was first created in Ancient Sumer, what is now Georgia and Iran. It was introduced into Europe by the Greeks over 5000 years ago and carried on into cultural and religious history by it being the representation of the blood of Christ given by Jesus at the Last Supper. Besides being an important part of the Eucharist, red wine plays an important role in fine dining cuisine all over the world and carries with it a unique personality and heritage.

Nothing tops off a long and delicious meal like a wonderful dessert. Leaving a sweet taste in your mouth, your stomach feels full and comfortable. However, if you really want to enjoy your dessert, pairing it with a wine will bring out just the amount of sweetness and acidity. This is the world of dessert wines, and for those that are not wine sommeliers, nothing can seem more confusing. If you are trying to get into dessert wine, watch this free video series. Our expert, Jane Nickles, gives you information about many different kinds of dessert wines: late harvest wines, ice wines, port wines, sherry wines, and moscato wines. Jane gives you information about the fermentation of these wines, and she also gives you tips for pairing desserts with wine. So, what are you waiting for? Toast to your meal with a nice glass of dessert wine.

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Jane Nickles and I am going to tell you a little bit about dessert wines. Dessert wines, quite simply are wines that are sweet. Now, that's not quite as silly as it sounds because dessert wines actually get there sweetness from residual sugar. Residual means sugar that was natural in the grape before fermentation and is left over in the wine after fermentation stops. One of the ways we classify dessert wines is how fermentation stops. In other words. Why does the residual sugar stay in there? One interesting thing about dessert wines is no matter how sweet they are and they can be very sweet indeed. They will always have acidity to balance the sweetness. So, if you know anybody that thinks they don't like dessert wines you should tell them. Well, the secret to enjoying a good sweet wine is to look for the balancing acidity. A dessert wine starts being classified as a dessert wine at about four percent residual sugar. Which is just enough for you to tell that it's sweet. Most dessert wines clock in it at about ten or twelve percent residual sugar. Which is about the same amount of sweetness that's in a nice typical vanilla ice cream. Some dessert wines however can get up to twenty, twenty-two or even twenty-four percent residual sugar. Which is very sweet indeed and what I like to call insulin shock or maybe even a tooth killer. With these wines the only thing you can really do is pair them up with sweet foods and they will come into their own and shine. Whatever it is though, try a nice dessert wine. Remember it will be sweet from residual sugar. It will be balanced with acidity and it will be a rich luxurious treat to have in moderation after a meal."