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A Look At Ice Wine

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:30:51 +0100

Looking at the different types of sweet wines on the market the one people prefer most is Ice Wine, or Eiswein. It's a rare sweet wine that is produced only in small batches and during cold winter frosts. Canada and Germany are most famous for their ice wines. The conditions in these regions are perfect for the wine made from frozen grapes.

One might think that ice wine is pricey because it is hard to find, but that's not the reason at all. Because it is produced in such small amounts it puts more of a demand on it. That's why it comes with a hefty price tag. There are other sweet wines available that can do the same job of delivering a honey sweetness, but none come near approaching the honey flow of ice wine.

Like I said cold weather is essential for ice wine production. The grapes are expected to freeze and are expected to freeze on the vine in a major frost. In fact, that's how it came to be. Eiswein is pressed from frozen grapes. As the grapes on the grape vine ripen, when the weather gets cold enough, around -8 degrees C., the grapes will freeze. Once this happens the grapes are picked at night, when the temperatures are coldest, and they are taken to the winery to be pressed.

The pressing also takes place while the grapes are frozen so that the water in the grapes remains frozen. Because of this the frozen grapes produce only a small amount of juice and the sugars are concentrated producing a very flavorful juice. This juice is then fermented to produce ice wine. The resulting product is a very concentrated, sweet wine. The high sugar level also results in a slower fermentation process. So ice wine takes longer to produce than a normal table wine.

There are also wines produced that are called ice wine, but they are produced differently. The grapes are picked earlier, and then frozen before pressing them for their juice. As a result, the flavors of the grapes are not as fully developed as in ice wine. As stated above, these wines are also known as icebox wines.

All of these factors, the particular weather conditions, and the sparse amount of juice from each grape, are what makes ice wine so rare and expensive. Ice wine is usually sold in half bottles, as opposed to regular wine, which typically is sold in 750ml bottles. Most stores do not sell ice wine, and it is hard to find online. Even if you can find it, it may be a bit expensive. But if you can, it is well worth it. Ice wine, because of the sugar content is very sweet, but not cloyingly so. The acid helps to balance out the sweetness.

Once produced, ice wine will sell very quickly. If you find a wine maker with some sweet ice wine, you should do your best to pick up a bottle or two. It will be expensive, but well worth it.

Ruster Ausbruch

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:42:40 +0100

The most famous dessert wine of Austria is the famed Ruster Ausbruch. It originates from the town of Rust, hence the name, which is located in the Burgenland region of Austria. There are a number of dessert wines hailing from different countries called Ausbruch, but it gets its name from a method of grape selection come harvest time. The key is Botrytis cinerea will have affected grapes used to make an Ausbruch. This isn't like ice wine which is made from late-harvest grapes, it's completely different.

How much effort is put into selecting the grapes will decide the quality of the wine. How this is done is simply by separating the ripe grapes from the ones with the Botrytis, also called noble rot. This can happen throughout the day to ensure only the most perfectly molded grapes are picked. Those affected by the lesser black or green molds are also picked but then discarded. The most a picker will gather with this method is about 20 liters with each pass.

For about 300 liters it takes about 7 or 8 grape pickers to get enough of the grapes together. Maceration generally takes between one half to two days, depending on the quality of the grapes. Then they are pressed. Following pressing, the grapes are required to reach at least 12% alcohol content during fermentation, which lasts about 4 months. Once it's time for aging the wine is put into wooden casks or oak barrels.

Ruster Ausbruch is claimed to be the first dessert wine ever produced. The blend of grapes used in Ruster Ausbruch is Furmint and Muskateller, but you’ll find examples from single varietals or cuvees of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Neuburger, Traminer and Welschriesling as well. You might have to do some online shopping to find an Ausbruch if you live in the US as they are uncommon. Two producers to look for are the Feiler-Artinger and the Wenzel winery, whose family have been making wine in Rust since 1647.

In the glass it is a beautiful sparkly yellow. An intense fruity nose with hints of apricot and citrus are characteristics of this wine. On the palate you are overwhelmed by the finesse of the acid that carries the wine and builds the backbone for long cellaring potential. Try it with dessert or go crazy and pair it with blue cheese and foie gras. The best dessert for the Ruster Ausbruch is something simple like a pound cake or fruit. But you can even enjoy it on its own.

The Sweet Wine of Sauterne

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:09:06 +0100

Sauternes comes from the southern Bordeaux region of France. This is a sensational semi sweet white wine that pairs well with desserts or foie gras. There are some that are made in the US, but this type of Sauterne is usually very dry and is called Haut Sauterne to avoid confusion.

Sauterne is also the name of the village from where the wine originates. The wine is produced in a delimited area around the village in the surrounding vineyards. The wines are similar to Mouvedre and Sauvignon. While the French disdain the American use of the term Haut Sauterne, they do coincidentally export a Haut Sauterne to the US.

The grape that makes up the majority of Sauternes is Semillon. In Bordeaux Semillon holds the title of being the majority white grape grown. Often blended with other wines, Semillon is found most widely in the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac. It is a rather hearty sweet wine and easy to drink. Like its Austrian cousin Ruster Ausbruch, it is fairly resistant to most diseases, with the exception of the fungal infection, Botrytis cinarea, also known as Noble rot.

Because Semillon is very susceptible to this mold it is the key component in making Sauternes. In fact, Semillon grapes make up 80% of the blend in Château d'Yquem, the most expensive and famous dessert wine in the world.

This sweet wine is also great with food pairings that one wouldn't quite think of. Take foie gras, fatty goose or duck liver, for example. Sounds gross, right? Foie gras is one of France's sexiest and hedonistic of culinary treats. The meaty flavors with the almost buttery fat, combined with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, leads to a fabulous pairing with Sauternes.

Another great food and wine pairing with Sauternes is Roquefort. While it is arguably the first and best blue cheese in the world, it can be quite intense and salty on its own unless paired with something sweet to tame it. That is why it is often served in a salad with sweet flavors like pear. And because most people do not want to drink too much sweet wine, pairing it with the right food can balance the sweetness and richness of the wine.

Even though Sauterne ages well and has been known to have an excellent texture after several decades, it is best when consumed young. It can also be served with spicy foods that contain coconut milk and curry. It will also improve the taste of fruit salads, grilled fish and chicken dishes. For some the heady aroma and taste of the wine may be too powerful and in most cases one glass will suffice when you consume it in conjunction with a meal. If you want to invest some time in an inexpensive sweet white wine, Sauterne is the way to go.

Understanding Sweet Wine

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:03:00 +0100

Sweet wine makes a great addition to any meal and almost any type of restaurant will have a sweet white wine or a sweet red wine available. Sweet tasting wine is an indispensable component to any meal, especially dessert. Sweet white wine can help you beat the overwhelming sweetness of desserts by balancing it. Sweet white wines to look for are Riesling, Semillon, Chenin Blanc and Muscat. This criterion is more precisely linked through various dessert wines like a sweet Italian wine called Vin Santo. Sweet white wine comes from different golden-skinned white wine grapes that are cultivated in many different parts of the world. As the grapes over ripen they lose water and their sugars concentrate. This is the way most sweet wines are produced.

For example, making a call on the sweetness of the sweet wine of Sauterne could entail actual tasting for personal judgment. A pretty simple concept for judging the sweetness of a wine goes like a sweetness spectrum that runs from dry, off-dry, medium dry, medium, medium sweet, to sweet. You may not know the outcome of a a sweet red wine but look for something like a sweet table wine. So, how do you know the difference between a sweet wine and a dry one? A wine that is not sugary is described as a dry wine. Sweet Italian wine is easy to categorize as there is no in-between. Spanish sweet wine like Sherry is becoming more popular. Drinking it can be a delightful experience.

If you want information about good sweet wine, there is a bounty of knowledge on the subject. Arming yourself with the information you need will help you reach that goal.. Let me tell you, those were some costly repairs and I want to enroll in a sweet wine class. I'm not totally convinced yet and now consider this about Spanish sweet wine. It is mediocre how any person can fully detail a circuitous event like this. Arming yourself with the information you need will help you reach that goal.Anyone who has an appreciation for wine accepts the differences among varietals.

This allows easy likeability for wine drinkers. It's been said so many times it has lost all meaning. However I must embrace it as soon as they can. This is a swiftly flowing situation.

Hopefully, I will help you find the right wine for you. I wonder if people view sweet wine like I do. Sweet wines and semi sweet red wine can be bought at a sweet wine for beginners store. I made this legendary discovery. This is typical in sweet wine types. The sweet wine is yellow in color. This article will try to ease that confusion with some simple explanations. I want to feel keen but that was something displayed by noobs. This helps to round out the crispness of the taste. It is important that the a sweet red wine you select has a good balance and is not too acidic. Anyone who has an appreciation for wine accepts the differences among varietals. This can make the price of wine expensive. Semi sweet white wine is made primarily from the same grape. My idea is based around my assumption that most people have a say so about sweet wine for beginners. You will see different sweet wine for beginners and names. Malolactic fermentation techniques are used in the production of this wine. On the other hand, sweet wines is almost negligible to the taste buds.

An Intro To Sweet Wine

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:55:57 +0100

Visiting the wine store for the first time can be stressful; all sorts of varying wines can be found. For someone new to wine and looking for a sweet dessert wine nine times out of ten, the labels won't indicate the level of sweetness, if any. How do you tell the difference between a sweet wine and a dry wine? Let's get going.

First off, let's talk about the difference between a sweet wine and a dry wine. A wine that does not have a lot of sugar is considered a dry wine. If you want to think of it in categories, it goes dry to off-dry to medium dry to medium to medium sweet to sweet. There's a code that describes all this and sometimes it is on the label but it's usually not. It runs from 0 to 30 with 30 being the sweetest.

The easiest way to find a sweet wine is to look for late-harvest wine section in a wine shop. These wines are syrupy and are why new wine drinkers are more likely to enjoy them over a dry wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon which new wine drinkers describe as too bitter. These dessert wines are most often Rieslings, Chenin Blancs, Semillons or Gewürztraminers.

To get a sweet wine you begin in the fermentation process where the sugars are converted to alcohol. Naturally the more sugars converted the more alcohol there's going to be which you can deduce to there being less sugar. Less sugar means a dryer wine. From this you can probably also see that sweet wines are typically low in alcohol.

With sweet riesling the wine maker will add alcohol to the wine to achieve a certain level of sweetness. This added sugar is called residual sugar. Some late-harvest wines are made this way. This way the added sugar balances the natural acidity of the wine.

Most dessert wines are made from grapes that are left on the vine to ripen well into maturity. This is one way to achieve a natural sweetness in the wine without adding residual sugar. These wines also will have less alcohol in them but will make high quality dessert wines. This is how most most dessert wines are made.

That's basically all there is to understanding sweet wine and the difference between dry and sweet. Good stuff to know about sweet wine for beginners.