If making sense of the incredible diversity that is the world of dry wines can be tough, then the world of sweet wines can be even more of a mystery. The styles and ways of production are many. Some are made with grapes that are harvested late, others are late harvested but the sugars and flavours are further concentrated by letting the grapes freeze. There are the “noble” sweet wines, whose grapes are infected with a noble rot called Botrytis cinerea.
There are sweet wines that are the product of grapes that are picked just ripe and then dried on either straw mats or in the sun. And if that isn’t enough, there is the whole family of wines that owe their sweetness to the addition of an eau-de-vie or brandy, either while they are fermenting or directly to the unfermented juice.
We tend to forget about these wines, as they are often drunk on special occasions. But I recently spent a week tasting through this incredibly diverse category of wines and came out of it with a renewed respect. So where to start? The simplest way is to divide them into two categories – those that are made with the addition of alcohol and those that aren’t.
Fortified wines are perhaps the easiest to understand. They can be divided into two families – wines that are made by adding alcohol to a fermenting wine, or where the alcohol is added directly to the juice before it ferments. This second category, depending on where you are, are referred to as mistelles. The term “vin de liqueur” is also used, though in France it is used instead of mistelle, while in other countries it can mean any fortified wine.
Fortification was born out of necessity as wines often spoiled, especially while being shipped to faraway markets.
It was found that by adding alcohol to a wine, it killed potentially bad bacteria as well as any remaining yeast that could cause a wine to referment.
While Port may be the most famous of the fortified wines, the first patent for the process of “mutage,” or adding an alcohol to a fermenting wine, was granted to a Catalan doctor, Arnaud de Villeneuve, at the end of the 13th century in southern France. His discovery led to the muscat-based wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon, known today as Muscat de Rivesaltes. Note that despite the fact they are fortified, the French categorize these wines as “vin doux naturelle,” which translates as “naturally sweet wine.”
The earlier that an alcohol is added, the sweeter the resulting wine. So the sweetest tend to be the family of mistelles, as they have the most unfermented sugar in them. The most famous of these wines comes from the Cognac region – Pineau des Charentes.
Pineau des Charentes is made by adding one-year-old Cognac to an unfermented blend of white grapes for white Pineau, or red grapes for red Pineau. The blend is then aged in oak barrels, and generally the cost of the bottle is directly related to the amount of time it spends in barrel before bottling.
Examples of Mistelles: Pineau des Charentes, Floc de Gascogne, Macvin de Jura
Mistelle de Pommes, L’Éden, Verger Clément, Quebec mistelle, $20.60 (375 mL), SAQ # 10440608. Subtle apple notes with a thick, viscous texture. Too much to be drunk on its own, but with a richly textured food, like a foie gras, would be perfect. Serve at 6C. Drink now. Food pairing idea: Foie gras served with onion chutney.
For the rest of the fortified family, the basic principle is that grape juice is fermented and when the wine reaches approximately 4 per cent alcohol, a brandy or other spirit is added to stop the fermentation. The remaining unfermented sugar is what gives these wines their characteristic sweetness. This mix of wine and alcohol is then aged in oak barrels.
Examples of fortified wines: Port, Sherry, Madeira (Portugal), Marsala (Italy), Banyuls (France), Maury (France) and the family of French regional muscat-based wines, such as Beaunes de Venice, Muscat de cap Corse, Muscat de Rivesaltes.
Muscat à petits grains 2008, Terre rouge, California fortified, $23.50 (375 mL), SAQ # 11576970. Delicate and soft. As opposed to the powerful florals and exotic fruit of muscat-based wines, this is all about pears and peaches, with just enough spice to add a little complexity. Very pretty. Serve at 8C. Drink now. Food pairing idea: Peach cobbler, crème brûlée, foie gras au torchon.
Banyuls 2009, Rimages, Domaine La Tour Vieille, France fortified, $22.20 (375 mL), SAQ # 884908. If you normally drink Port, here is an interesting alternative. Marzipan and caramel, with notes of dried fig and black plums. Less overtly alcoholic and nutty than a Port. Serve at 10C. Drink now-2019. Food pairing idea: Chocolate.
No booze added
Sweet wines that are not fortified can be also be classified into two larger families – those that owe their sweetness to being over-ripened in the fields (late harvest or vendange tardive), or those that are picked “just ripe,” and then concentrated by some sort of drying process.
The sweetness of late-harvest wines depends on how late the winemaker decides to pick the grapes, and whether or not the bunches have noble rot or are frozen, which will further concentrate the juice. In the fall, much like our deciduous trees, the vine begins to shut down and prepare for its winter dormant stage, starving the leaves and fruit of nutrients.
These grape bunches will be exposed to colder and colder temperatures, which will have an effect on the flavour profile of the wine.
The most extreme example of this is Quebec and Canada’s most important contribution to sweet wine – ice wine. It is due to the freezing and unfreezing of the grapes that they acquire their signature, intense exotic character.
Those wines that have been infected by the fungus Botrytis cinerea, as in Sauternes, are sometimes labelled “Sélection de Grains Nobles.” This fungus happens when cool, humid conditions are followed by warm, dry spells. With noble rot, spores penetrate the grape skin and, once established, the fungus develops. As it grows, it metabolizes acids and sugars in the grape. The end result is that the grapes dehydrate, the sugars and acids concentrate and a whole host of complex aromatics are added to the bouquet.
Examples of late-harvest wines: Sauternes, icewine, German and Austrian riesling labelled Spätlese, Auslese, Trockenbeerenausle (with noble rot).
Jurançon 2010, Uroulat, Charles Hours, France sweet, $17.55 (375 mL), SAQ # 709261. Just sweet enough to be called a sweet wine in my books, this has a remarkable acidity for a sweet wine. Apricots abound, with hints of mango and other exotic fruit. Serve at 8C. Drink now-2016. Food pairing idea: Crème brûlée.
Coteaux du Layon 1999, Moulin Touchais, France sweet, $45, SAQ # 739318. Quite floral, with subtle notes of pear and candied lemon zest. Like always, enough acidity to maintain freshness. If you find most sweet wines too sweet, this is for you. Serve at 8C. Drink now-2020. Food pairing idea: Tarte tatin.
The other method of concentrating sugars is by picking the grapes when just ripe and then drying them. This technique is called passerillage.
This process allows not only for a concentration of the sugars and acids, but also creates a myriad of more exotic flavours and aromas. Most wines are dried on beds of straw or specially designed drying rooms, though some, like Passito di Pantelleria, are done outside in the sun and wind.
Examples of wines made with dried grapes: This method is synonymous with a couple of well-known Italian wines – Venetian Recioto, Tuscany’s Vin Santo and the Sicilian Passito di Pantelleria. I am a huge fan of “Vin de Paille,” which is made in France’s Jura and Rhône.
Recioto di Soave 2008, La Perlara, Ca’Rugate, Italy sweet, $40 (375 mL), SAQ # 10367033. Sultana raisins and dried figs. This is expensive, but absolutely delicious. Made with dried grapes and aged for a year in oak, which gives a faint hint of caramel in the background. Great. Serve at 8-10C. Drink now-2018. Food pairing idea: Digestif (instead of dessert), grilled figs with mascarpone cheese.