The best sweet wines in the world
ACCORDING to legend, a vineyard owner in France once left on a journey, giving instructions to his workers not to touch the grapes during his absence. As fate would have it, he was delayed on his return and his workers, following instructions, left the grapes hanging on the vines well-past usual harvest.
Upon his return the vintner was dismayed to see his shrivelled grapes still on the vines, covered with a mould whose roots have penetrated the fruits and drawn off much water, leaving the shrunken remains with a sugar concentration nearly double that of typical wine grapes.
With nothing else to do that winter, he ordered the grapes picked and crushed, their juices fermented and bottled. The wine yield per acre was severely reduced. There were probably no meats at the Yule table that year.
When the owner later tasted his first bottle, he is said to have sworn never again to pick grapes until they were shrivelled and mouldy. The miracle born in the bottle that season was christened Sauternes after its locale, the mould on the grapes henceforth regarded as “noble rot” and the amber-hued queen of dessert wines began her undisputed reign. For a hundred years or more, she was castled at Château d’Yquem.
I cannot afford d’Yquem and have never tasted one – not many of as could, anyway. But as Chesterton once remarked about the classical symphony, I take it on faith that it is beautiful, not on experience. Wiser people know these things – they tell me it is so and I have no reason to doubt them. Not so long ago at Le Sommelier, the chance to try d’Yquem and other sweet wines was an experience never to be forgotten. During the entire duration of the tasting, that story was in my mind.
Happily, there are several other fine sauternes and sweet wines on the market from around the world that domestic drones like me can afford and, second only to port, nothing gives me as much pleasure as sharing and introducing sweet wines to friends.
The sweet stuff that Michel Constantin has prepared for us is definitely not for kids. Dessert wines are usually served alone, mainly because some of the key ingredients in desserts – most significantly chocolate – clash with wine (though port and the sweeter sparkling wines hold up reasonably well).
There is a vast range of desserts that rely not on chocolate but on various types of sugar, spice, fruit and pastry fillings and for these dessert wines are a perfect fit. But they are not a perfect as a decadent ending to a great meal. These wines are a delicious end in themselves. A chilled sweet wine after a hard day at work or on a lazy Sunday afternoon contributes to a comfortable life.
Dessert wines are therefore wines that are sweet and luscious. The best dessert wines are those that nature herself sweetens by concentrating the grape sugar in late harvested mouldy grapes – like in the myth – though not just any mould will do.
Botrytis cinerea is the mould of choice. When ripe grapes are lucky enough to develop Botrytis cinerea, they lose moisture and their natural sugars become concentrated. These lucky grapes are the makings for award-winning late harvest dessert wines. Since what is normally considered lousy weather contributes to the attack of Botrytis, harvesting grapes can continue past the normal end of season, perhaps into December.
Many wineries will produce a “late harvest” wine in the manner of the French Sauternes. So while you will find Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes in Sauternes, you can also find late harvest Riesling or Gewürztraminer in Germany or Austria.
Philippoz, Petite Arvine Flétrie 2000 from Valais Switzerland was Michel’s first choice in our blind tasting at Le Sommelier. It did not make much of an impression, yellow gold with earthy Botrytis flowery roses – nose, toast and spice flowery palate with limited aftertaste. Austria’s turn next, with a Feiler Artinger, Ruster Ausbruch, 1998, Burgenland. Gold colour, shy on the nose, not too complex with a blend of cinnamon and mint tea perfume. The palate was spicy and toasty, sweet tangerines, honey zest and leeches. Next in line was Italy, with a Mastrojanni, Botrys 1996, from Tuscany. Gold, less sweet than the rest, perfumes of apricot, nuts and smoky wood; this is a more footy wine. On the taste, the palate was full of bitter almonds with herby notes.
Not so long ago this column hosted a Tokaji. In our glasses we had an Oremus, Tokaji Aszu 6 puttonyos 1981 from Hungary. True Hungarian Tokaji offers one of the simplest and most reliable quality rating systems in the world of wine. Botrytised Furmint and Muscat grapes, mealy with noble rot, are crushed into a paste and the resulting batter is divided into “puttonyos” – an enchantingly arcane measure of weight.
To a simple base of characterless Furmint wine, at least three puttonyos of this botrytised paste are added. Tokay makers, with little encouragement, often add four and sometimes five puttonyos to the base wine, raising the sugar levels proportionally. At times, they can even be convinced to mix in six shares of joy to the base before setting the wine down to referment in oak.
True Tokaji Aszu will indicate how many puttonyos were used in making the wine and that number will always be between three and six. Is there such thing as seven puttonyos? Yes, and it is called Essentia. Bronze in colour, raisins, quince and coffee perfumes, well balanced acidity and sugar, caramel and prunes come to mind. This is heaven kept in for 15 years in oak and can retail at approximately £21 per bottle.
Number five is indeed a rare treat and we are back to Austria. Forty-something Alois Kracher has a reputation for making Austria’s best sweet wine and on the basis of this tasting it’s hard to see how anyone else could do much better. He is located in the village of Illmitz, on the east bank of the Neusiedlersee, a long shallow lake in the extreme south Austria on the Hungarian border.
This lake is the key to this region’s success with sweet wines. The vineyards are located its flat shores and the mist that develops in the warm autumn makes this ideal territory for botrytis.
Although these grapes look disgusting, they make small quantities of high complex sweet wine, such as Kracher no 10, Trockenbeerenauslese, 1998, Burgenland. A sugar-hunter’s dream.
Complex and concentrated and thick, yet lighter than air. This sweetie combines apricot, caramel and a velvety texture and vibrant acidity. Picks up smoky note on the finish. Can age until 2010. Impressive stuff, Kracher will have an exclusive on this page soon. Price approximately £35.
Château d’Yquem 1987, Sauternes, France. It is time to try the Rolls. It is often described as the greatest sweet wine in the world. After centuries of family ownership, Yquem was finally sold in acrimonious circumstances to Louis Vuitton-Moët-Henessy in 1999, though its former owner and director Alexander de Luc-Saluce remains in charge.
Yquem is located on the highest hill in Sauternes and enjoys the best growing conditions in the whole appellation. The 110ha vineyard is planted with 80 per cent Sémillon and 20 per cent Sauvignon Blanc. Only fully botrytised fruit is picked by the 150 skilled pickers and yields are so low that each vine produces only one glass of wine.
Yquem is fermented in oak barrels 100 per cent new and is left in barriques to mature for up to 36 months. Deep gold in colour, with sublime aromas of honey, butterscotch and orange peel notes. Velvety unctuous mouth fills with layer upon layer of honeyed sweetness but not cloying. Superb balance and weight. Powerful yet elegant. Hints of sweet nuttiness with balancing lime acidity. Concentrated and complex with an impossibly long silky finish. As for the price, well… just over £100.
The end of the tasting? I am afraid not. Yet another surprise by Michel a Toro Alba, Don Pedro PX 1972, Montilla Moriles from Spain. This is the black stuff — wow. Deep sunburn asphalt colour, good concentration, of oxidised raisin fruit and liquorice, yet still full of life with lively acidity and alcohol to balance. Massive sugar content (310g/l residual). Citrus peel and caramel nuances give a smooth and rich rustic finish with oxidised notes. Are you a chocoholic? If so, this wine is the exception. Try it with chocolate and caramel desserts. The price, a bargain at just under £100… only £18.00. Double wow!
