Dessert wines???

[dnjan]

I am looking for ideas for alternate dessert wines. Currently I usually have either port (LBV when possible), tawny port, or madiera.
What other dessert wines have people had, that they could recommend?
Of course I dream of a bottle of Chateau Y'quem (perhaps when the market recovers to double what it was before the recent megadrops), but I would prefer some more reasonably-priced suggestions.
I have heard about Banyuls - has anybody had any? comments?

 

[Rachael]

Have you tried any of the Oregon Pinot Ports? Of course I'm biased, but I have found them to be very enjoyable and most under $20.

While not in the fortified catagory, many of the sweet whites make good dessert wines. There are many variations, "late harvest" "sweet reserve" "cellarmaster's reserve" etc. Riesling is good, Muller Thurgau is sweeter. Chenin Blanc is often sweet enough to classify as a dessert wine as well. Many people enjoy "Ice Wine" but I find it a bit too syrupy for my taste. I wonder if it would be good in a spritzer.

 

[dhermann1]

Y'quem

I read Duff Cooper's autobiography a couple of years ago (he was a supporter of Churchill and was First Lord of the Admiralty for a while in 1938). He describes an adventure in WW I when he was rotated the the rear for a month, when he and his pal had dinner at a little inn in France, and for dessert they each polished off 2 bottles of Y'quem. Last I looked it was $300 a bottle. Those were the days, live for today for tomorrow we go over the top!
Ever since then I've had a similar dream of polishing off a substantial amount of that stuff.

 

[Kermez]

As far as ports go, IMO you can rarely (if ever) go wrong with LBVs, specifically in my 12-year porto experience: Fonseca, Taylor Fladgate, and Warre's. Ramos Pinto can be hit-or-miss, and personally I avoid W. & J. Graham's. All others I do not have enough experience with which to offer a very educated opinion.

LBVs as you know are almost always very reasonably priced anywhere from $15-$25 and are ready yo drink upon purchase. Even so, I always still decant mine and let it breathe for an hour or three - I never pour (or drink!) it "straight" from the bottle.

 

[tortswon]

Dessert wines

I love dessert wines. Banyuls is a great wine producing region. The wines from this region are often a great value. The finest of the producers is, IMO, Dr. Parce. Chapoutier also makes a good one. These wines go perfectly with chocolate.

Another good dessert wine comes from Monbaziac. It is inexpensive and is a good substitute for Sauternes. You might also want to try a Juracon which is another sweet white wine from France.

From Italy, there is a less sweet wine called Torcolato. It also goes well with chocolate. Picolit is another Italian sweety. It is from northeastern Italy. A half bottle will cost you about $25. It is delicious.

Germany, Austria, and the Alsace all produce magnificent sweet wines some of which are very expensive. Austria is still suffering from the chaptalization scandal of a generation ago. Their sweet wines tend to be less expensive than the Germans and the Alsacians. The sweet white wines are designated auslese. Sweeter are the beerenauslese and still sweeter are the trockenbeerenauslese.

Hungarian Tokajis are delicious dessert wines. They are rated for the sweetness in puttonyos. Get at least a five puttonyos wine, six is even better. The most extracted is called essencia.

Our Canadian neighbors produce Ice Wines, especially in Ontario. Iniskillen is a particularly fine producer.

Australia is producing some good port and tokaj knockoffs. The best producer is R.L. Buller.

Now for the good old USA. There are many producers here that make great dessert wines. Some of the best (in no particular order), include Ridge Late Harvest Zin, Justin's Obtuse, Tablas Creek (several) one of which just got a 98 from Parker, and Pacific Rim Muscat Vin de Glaciere.

Hope this helps. Want to talk about dessert beers and sake next? Best, Sam

 

[Levallois]

I wish I could help you branch out but I've been a port addict for years - it is the only "dessert wine" that I drink. Although it's usually with a cigar and not with dessert. Good luck.

John

 

[tortswon]

Ice Wine Spritzer

Rachael, I would not use ice wine to make a spritzer solely because of cost. It is rather pricey to be mixed with soda and ice. It would probably taste good.

If you want a sweet base for a spritzer, may I suggest Lillet which is a sweet vermouth which comes in red (sweeter) and white (drier but still sweet)? Dubonet (which has fallen out of fashion lately) also works in a spritzer. All of these cost less than half of a bottle of good ice wine and they can be recorked without deterioration for a week or two. If you try it, let me know if you like it. Best, Sam

 

[dnjan]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I should have many weeks (months) of happy desserts.

And thanks for the positive report on Banyuls. Now if I can just find it locally ...

I would like to try an Oregon Pinot port, if I could just find one. I rarely even drink the Washington port-style wines because the only one readily available is a bit rough.

Last time I was in Germany I found a place serving a trockenbeerenauslese by the glass. It was very nice, but a half-bottle was a bit pricey.

I think it would be nice to have a rotation of fortified's, ice-wine's and noble-rot dessert wines. I've worked enough on ports to determine that my cost-benefit ratio is best at the LBV level. Now it is time to expand my horizons ...

I hope people continue to use this thread to post specific bottle recommendations!

 

[rumblefish]

Hey there Don,
How about Tokaji from Hungary?
Wine made there, as Sauternes with grape affected by botrytis.
And of course I would recommend it with the foie gras.

 

[John in Covina]

Some of the German wines that are late harvest are sweet enough to be dessert wines

If you find an "Ice Wine" that can be really good.

Also ask at your local shop about Muscat / Muscato dessert wines.

Sometimes you can find some varietal ports such as zinfandel or syrah.

 

[dnjan]

I'm looking forward to tasting a tokaji adzu. Had one years ago, but it was only a 3-putts. (all I could find at the time). I hope to be able to find a 5-putts to give the tokaji's a second chance.

I should have mentioned that my preferred dessert at an Italian restaurant is vino Santo. I haven't had the time to learn the producers well enough to buy a bottle I would trust (from what I have seen, the prices can vary wildly), so I have resorted to trusting the restaurant.

 

[HungaryTom]

Tokaji Essencia

Essencia 1972, Muscat Lunel Aszu Essencia 1994, Essencia 1976, Ménesi Aszu 2003-from red grapes

 

[tortswon]

Tokaij

Tom, that is a pretty serious collection! Very impressive. Have you run across any pre-revolution Essencia? I had the pleasure of a glass at a charity event. It was sublime. Best, Sam

 

[dnjan]

WONDERFUL COLLECTION!

Essencia 1972, Muscat Lunel Aszu Essencia 1994, Essencia 1976, Ménesi Aszu 2003-from red grapes

Tried to reply earlier, but kept on drooling on the keyboard.
How many thousand dollars worth of wine was that?
I guess I'll add Essencia to the same list that includes Chateau Y'Quem.
Someday ...

 

[HungaryTom]

Tom, that is a pretty serious collection! Very impressive. Have you run across any pre-revolution Essencia? I had the pleasure of a glass at a charity event. It was sublime. Best, Sam

Dear Sam,

I personally run across Essencia from 1957 back in 1994 when I purchased the 1976 essencia as a student. 3 years in a single sentence - !

And since that I saw a bottle from 1913 and 1942 if I remember correctly. But those were fetching exorbitant prices so I never intended to purchase them.
The funny thing is that these essencia and 5-6 puttonyos really hold up for decades and centuries - yes centuries. Lately I met one Hungarian caterer who served Tokaji and told me that he had the luck to taste some 100+ years old delicatesse and it had tastes like walnut, cherry, etc. I heard/read this from other sources as well.

Red wine peak normally after a decade or so and than fade. Not the Aszu.
I myself had the luck to participate in a wine cellar at Erdőbénye (village in the Tokaj-region, like Tolcsva, etc.) tasting only a row of 5 and 6 puttonyos.
I will never forget that. I consumed the other Essencia from 1976 a decade ago - it is really like an essence of the Aszu - the natural juice that is dripping out from the bottom of the tank, where those Bothrythis ridden berries are stored. The berries must not be pressed... This syrup has huge amounts of sugar and a ton of extracts, like natural peniciline. Tsars and emperors liked it and it was treated like an elixir-people did not knew about natural antibiotics which this miracle is. Nectar (=Essencia) has made it into verse 3 of our national anthem.

There were Aszu wine not only in Tokaj but Ménes (Today in Romania) where they used Red wine and also close to Sopron.

Don,

How many thousand dollars???
Don't know - I purchased them for less and I collected them over a decade or so. Maybe if you want to buy them in the US at once than it might be expensive. Bottles of Museum grade Essencia and 5-6 Puttonyos might cost up to 700-800 USD but those are 50-60 years old or older.


Tom

 

[tortswon]

Tokaij and Hungarian cuisine

You know, Tom, considering the quality, they are a value compared to fine Sauternes. A Yquem of similar age from a good vintage would cost at least 8-10 times that amount.

On a totally separate note, I predict that Hungarian food will be the next big thing in the culinary world. Within five years, I believe that great everyone in the culinary world will know about the wonders of great eros and edes. Best, Sam

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Don Pedro Ximenez Toro Albalá Gran Reserva 1971



http://www.lawineclub.com/tnsearch.php?fn=2&as=933

The color is a dark, dark brown...basically black, but along the edges or swirled up onto the sides of the glass, you can see that it's actually dark brown. This wine is exactly the color of cane syrup, or molasses. The nose is similarly like cane syrup or molasses, caramelly and sweet, with a strong scent of brown sugar. The flavor is amazing...do I have to say, cane syrup or molasses? Yes, those are the main flavors, with a bit of heat from the alcohol, dense and sweet, with the hint of metallic/mineral quality that goes along with cane syrup, and a finish that goes on and on and on. Oh, wow. I want to pour this on my pancakes, but that would just dilute the goodness.

 

[tortswon]

Don Pedro Ximinez

With all due respect to the LA Wine Club, I think they understate the flavor profile was this Sherry. There is a tremendous stewed fruit component there. It is more than just sugary sweetness. Best, Sam

PS I have enjoyed Dogfish Head Worldwide Stout on my pancakes on New Years Day for many years.

 

[Nash Buckingham]

More dessert wine,,,,

Have you tried Rosa Regala ? (banfi wine) it is a wonderful dessert wineand reasonably priced.

Personally, I prefer crusted port over even tawny - - and it does go well with a good cigar. - no need for anything more for me for dessert!

 

[Brad Bowers]

My favorite this time of year, and throughout the winter, is Chaucer's Mead, from the Bargetto Winery in California.

I enjoy it chilled, at room temperature, or served hot, mulled with spices.

I've tried other meads from around the country, and none of them match up to this one.

Brad