Brian Freedman is extra sweet in today's episode as he guides you through the ins and outs of dessert wines. Dessert wine, which is interchangeably referred to as sweet wine, is often mistaken as something that must be enjoyed accompanying dessert. This false assumption can lead the unsuspecting wine drinker astray, as too much sweetness can overload the palate. Depending on style and alcohol level, certain sweet wines can be enjoyed on their own or with contrasting food elements. Watch this week's ClassicWines TV episode as Brian gives you the inside scoop regarding dessert wines. Wine sampled in today's episode is the Sandeman Founders Reserve Porto.
Dessert wines balance acidity with just the right level of sweetness. When paired with sweets, the flavors truly shine. Learn about dessert wines and how they are made in this free wine video about the world of dessert wines.
Today Gary Vaynerchuk tastes through 4 very different dessert wines. The wines from Australia,Hungary,Calfornia and Bordeaux(sautern) are evaluated. A very serious episode today that will make you start thinking about sweet wines in a different way!
Today Gary attacks and talks about Canadian Ice wines and Dessert wines. Gary is blown away by the efforts from up North and asks a great little question. Please join in and ask Gary some questions and look for the fun and excitement in this episode!
Chambers Rosewood specialises in making dessert wines. The rare and grand reserve wines are ultra expensive but the NV series by comparison sell for a song (and a dance). Like it's sibling, this dessert wine runs at 19% alcohol but comes with a lighter colour of gold. Possesing a full, syrupy body, the wine gave a nose of canned sweet tangerine, orange marmalade and orange liqueur chocolate. Upon tasting, more tangerine, orange characters followed with sweet and spicy (but not hot) pepper. The botrytis character of wild honey also came through with more orange liqueur chocolate. Compare to the Muscat, this Muscadelle is less complex. What these wines lack in my humble opinion, is a tad more acidity to give more vibrancy. The finish is fair. (Rating 89-91 points) Michael Lam of the Beverage Review
This famous region of Bordeaux specialises making dessert wines from Botrytis white grapes of semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. Botrytis Cinerea is a fungus that attacks and dehydrates the grapes thus naturally leaving the grapes concentrating on their sugar level. Botrytis doesn't just develop every year with ease but needs the right conditions from mother nature. Recent excellent vintages in Bordeaux are 2001 and 2003. The de Myrat is a second growth from the 1855 classification. The color of the wine is yellow / yellow straw. On the nose, profound honey and candied lemon fruit/ citrus oil came out. This syrupy, oily bodied wine offers more candied lemon, candied pear, candied pineapple, subtle smoke and spice. The finish is long with sweetened bitter lemon rind and great Botrytis characters. The balanced acidity, sugar, concentration and alcohol ensures it's ageability. I look forward retasting this wine with you in 5 and 10 years time to see how it develops. (90-92 points by Michael Lam of the Beverage Review).Just an extra note: when tasting dessert wine. One, primarily, is looking for balance between acidity and sweetness but the most important thing is looking for COMPLEXITY. Winemakers can manipulate and adjust acidity and sweetness but they cannot create natural complexity which comes from the grape. Complexity also develops as the wine ages...the fruit level drops as well as loosing some sweetness but other dimensions like coffee and even subtle spices emerges with a change to a darker colour. You gain some and you loose some!
www.isoleditoscana.tvmontefico libero.itAzienda Vinicola Le Sughere di Montefico. Agriturismo in Toscana, Isola d'Elba.Lembi di terra rossa e pietrosa che il duro lavoro dell'uomo ha strappato alla macchia mediterranea, vecchie miniere di ferro abbandonate, scoscesi pendii che si affacciano sull'azzurro del mare.Le viti, da prima esitanti, poi rigogliose rivendicano il loro posto in questa terra arsa dal sole e pervasa dall'inconfondibile profumo della ginestra del cisto e della lavanda selvatica.L'uva ne fa proprie le essenze e dà vita a vini dall'aroma incredibile come solo le isole sanno produrre.Nel cuore dell'Elba, terza isola Italiana, a due passi dall'antico borgo minerario di Rio Marina, sorge l'azienda vinicola Le Sughere di Montefico che appunto prende il suo nome dal folto bosco di sughere secolari che la circonda. Si sviluppa su un'area di 25 ettari che ospita i vigneti, la cantina e i casolari ristrutturati nel corso dell'anno passato e destinati oggi all'accogliente agriturismo.Il luogo ideale per una vacanza all'insegna del relax, dove buon vino, cibo genuino e natura si fondono per ritemprare l'ospite stanco dello stress della vita quotidiana.L'Azienda vinicola.E' settembre e un'uva dagli acini d'ambra e di rubino fa bella mostra di se tra le foglie di vite.Tra i filari si muovono gli uomini, mani esperte tagliano i grappoli, uno per uno, attente a non danneggiare le piante e i frutti preziosi.L'uva viene deposta in cassette lungo i filari ordinati. Una volta raccolta e portata in cantina viene smistata per tipologia, e destinata a lavorazioni differenti a seconda del prodotto che dovrà dare.Il moscato, l'ansonica e l'aleatico destinati a i vini da dessert, vengono lasciati negli appassitoi, per raggiungere il giusto contenuto zuccherino e la maturazione ideale.Le Sughere Winery, Montefico.Farm holiday in Tuscany.Strips of red, stony ground torn from the maquis by hard human labour, old abandoned iron mines, steep slopes overlooking the blue of the sea. First hesitantly and then with joyful vigour, the vines claim their place in this sun-burnt ground, with its ever-present fragrances of broom, cistus and wild lavender.The grapes seems to absorb these perfumes, creating wines with an incredible bouquet, of the type only found on Italy's islands.The Le Sughere winery at Montefico stands in the heart of Elba, the third-largest Italian island, a stone's throw from the ancient mining village of Rio Marina, taking its name from the dense cork ("sughero") woods which surround it. The 25-hectare estate houses the vineyards, the wineries and the farmhouses renovated during last year and now available for holiday lets.It is the ideal place for a relaxing holiday, where good wine, genuine food and nature combine to restore guests tired by the stress of daily life.The Winery.It is September, and amber and ruby-red grapes make a fine show between the leaves of the vines.People move along the rows, and skilled hands cut the bunches one by one, taking care not to damage the vines or their precious fruit.The grapes are placed in crates along the neat rows. Once harvested and taken to the winery, the grapes are sorted by type and processed in different ways depending on the type of wine to be made.Moscato, ansonica and aleatico grapes, used to make dessert wines, are left to partially dry in special rooms, to achieve the correct sugar content and the ideal degree of ripeness.CONTATTIChi siamoAzienda Agricola Le Sugheredi Lorenzo Claris Appianiwww.lesughere.itPer prenotazioni e informazioni Agriturismo Tel. 3470849947 montefico@libero.itOrari di apertura al pubblico della Cantina:dal lunedì al sabato dalle ore 10.00 alle 12.30 e dalle ore 15 alle 19domenica apertura su prenotazionePer informazioni:Cantina: tel. 0565.1935239tel. 347.0849947tel. 339.7787422montefico@libero.itLocalità Monte Fico57038, Rio MarinaIsola d'Elba (Livorno)Tel e Fax 0565.924140
