Sweet Wine
Ranging from medium-dry to rich, these wines are sweet from the residual sugar left in the wine after fermentation.
Sweet wines or dessert wines are produced in the same way as dry white wines; the difference lies in when the grapes are picked. By leaving the grapes on the vine for longer and harvesting them later in the season the grapes become fully ripe and develop much higher sugar contents.
When these high sugar content musts ferment, the yeast, which is converting the sugar to alcohol, tires quickly and the fermentation comes to a halt leaving behind unconverted natural sugars.
The most famous sweet wines like Château D’Yquem of Sauternes are made from grapes purposefully left on the vines waiting to pick up a type of rot called botrytis cinerea, better known as ‘noble rot’. This fungus dries out the grapes and gives them a much higher concentration of sugar as well as honey and apricot flavours but takes great skill and knowledge to bring about.
Sauternes is renowned for producing the best sweet wines in the world, though Alsace, the Loire valley and other regions of France produce outstanding examples. Only certain grape varieties are fit for producing sweet wines. Amongst these are Chenin Blanc, Muscat, Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Riesling. Sweet wines naturally go well with sugary desserts and even cheese but also as an aperitif with dishes like foie gras. If not they are always delicious on their own. You want to serve these wines at 8-10°C.
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Château Guiraud, Sauternes, 1997
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Sauternes | White Wine | Bottle (0.75)A dark golden, sweet, sumptious, white wine. It has an unusually intense rich nose of pinapple, melted... Read More£49.99 -
Château Rayne Vigneau, Sauternes, 1988
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Sauternes | White Wine | Bottle (0.75)A sweet white pudding wine, lighter than some vintages of this wine. It is finely balanced with good... Read More£49.99 -
Château Rayne Vigneau, Sauternes, 1990
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Sauternes | White Wine | Bottle (0.75)A deep honey golden, thick, sweet pudding wine. It oozes apricots, pineapples and honey and a smooth... Read More£59.99 -
Domaine de l'Alliance, Sauternes, 2009 (50cl)
France, Bordeaux, Sauternes, Sauternes | White Wine | 50cl (0.5)Mark Savage, master of wine, said about this wonderful sweet wine "Daniel Alibrand took over some 5 hectares... Read More£27.99 -
Wegeler Estate, Mosel Riesling, 2007
Germany, Mosel | White Wine | Bottle (0.75)The noble riesling grape arguably achieves its purest expression in the cool northern vineyards of Germany... Read More£12.99 -
Bodegas Scholtz Hermanos Solera 1885, Málaga, NV
Spain, Andalucía, Málaga | White Wine | Bottle (0.75)With components of the wine coming from 1885, this rare non-vintage fortified wine comes from a winery... Read More£55.99Out of stock
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Château Coutet, Barsac, 2003
France, Bordeaux, Sauternes, Barsac | White Wine | Bottle (0.75)An attractive wine with a deep gold colour and a nose of considerable elegance and refinement, distinguished... Read More£36.99Out of stock
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Château d'Yquem, Sauternes, 1955
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Sauternes | White Wine | Bottle (0.75)One might say you can safely give Château d'Yquem the title of best sweet wine money can buy. It remains... Read More£395.99Out of stock
Price Comparison: £634.80 - Fine & Rare Wines (Checked 07/09/12) -
Château de Ricaud, Loupiac, 1929
France, Bordeaux, Loupiac | White Wine | Bottle (0.75)Despite this sweet wine coming from Loupiac it demonstrates how comparable these wines can be with their... Read MoreRegular Price: £189.99
Special Price: £154.89
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Château La Tour Blanche, Sauternes, 2005
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Sauternes, Sauternes | White Wine | Bottle (0.75)A golden yellow, medium-bodied Sauternes from a top vintage. It has a lovely sweet nose of honey, pineapple... Read MoreRegular Price: £39.99
Special Price: £29.99
Out of stock
Price Comparison: £39.48 - Fine and Rare Wines (Checked 18/07/12)
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