Texan Magazine
By Jim Peterson
Wine Writer, Wine Collector & Instagram Wine Influencer
There’s a particular kind of magic that can happen when dessert is served and an accompanying glass of wine appears. The table softens, conversations slow, and a golden, amber, or deep ruby liquid turns an ordinary evening into something quietly celebratory. Whether it’s the intensity of a Sauternes kissed by noble rot, the honeysuckle concentration of a late-harvest Riesling, the fortified richness of a Port, or the purity of ice wine, these sweet wines can do more than accompany the dessert. They often become dessert.
Far from being mere after-dinner indulgences, the world’s greatest dessert wines rank among the most labor-intensive and weather-dependent creations in all of winemaking. Their rarity, complexity, and centuries of prestige have earned them a permanent place in the hearts and cellars of serious collectors and casual enthusiasts alike.
SAUTERNES
Sauternes is a small region in Bordeaux that has the perfect growing conditions to allow a fungus, Botrytis cenerea (noble rot), to form on grapes but not necessarily harm them. Noble rot concentrates the sugars creating a sweet, concentrated wine like nowhere else on earth. The most prized Sauternes is Château d’Yquem, a favorite of Coach Gregg Popovich. Fun fact: I had dinner with Coach Pop in 1999 to celebrate the first Spurs NBA championship, and he brought a 1976 d’Yquem for our dessert course. That is just one of many vintages I have been lucky to taste over the years. I say lucky because these bottles cost $200 or more for a 375ml, which is sometimes all you need for a dessert wine as they should be savored with small pours and small sips.
Earlier this year I attended two Sauternes tastings. The first was a Château d’Yquem Masterclass where we compared the 2006, 2016, and 2023 vintages side by side. The 2023 d’Yquem is an all-time classic vintage and worth collecting. The second event was an industry tasting where stellar Sauternes producers – Château Guiraud, Château Suduiraut, and Château Rieussec – showcased a variety of Sauternes that highlighted the nuances between them. These nuances often result from the varying amounts of the key grapes used – mainly Semillon, but Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle are often a smaller part of the blend. Some classic dessert pairings for Sauternes include crème brûlée, pear or apple tarts topped with ice cream, or a lighter white fruit or Grand Marnier soufflé. It’s best to avoid overly bitter, heavily spiced, or dark chocolate desserts as they can mute the wine.
LATE-HARVEST RIESLING
As I’ve noted in previous articles, quality German Riesling producers make a few different categories of wines that include Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, and Trockenbeerenauslese. These relate to the ripeness of the grapes when picked. The riper the grape, the sweeter the wine will be. In that sense, you can think of these categories as the order in which they are picked. When it comes to selecting a Riesling dessert wine, I prefer the Auslese. My favorite German region for Auslese is the Mosel. Its steep, south-facing slate slopes, cool climate, and river-moderated conditions allow grapes to achieve high sugar levels while retaining extraordinary acidity and minerality. One unique aspect of the finer Auslese is lower alcohol by volume (ABV), usually around 7.5-9%. An Auslese can be quite affordable too, with even top producers in the $60 to $80 range for a full 750ml bottle. This makes it very easy to sip!
The dessert pairings for Riesling can be quite diverse. Top choices include apple strudel, lemon tarts, cheesecake, or desserts with candied citrus peel. The wine’s flavors of honeysuckle and apricot, along with that bright acidity provide a refreshing lift that complements the sweetness of the dessert. Whether sipped alongside these classics or savored on its own, an Auslese Riesling delivers a perfectly balanced, refreshing close to a dining experience.
FORTIFIED WINES
Fortified wines are produced by adding a neutral grape spirit to grape must either during or after fermentation. This helps raise the alcohol level (typically to 17-22% ABV) and stops yeast activity, which preserves residual sugar for sweetness. While there are many different fortified wines (Port, Sherry, and Madeira often come to mind first), I will focus on Port because I recently opened a birth year 1963 vintage Port on my 63rd birthday – the ’63 at 63 as I called it. Also, the oldest wine I have ever tasted was a 100-year-old vintage Port from 1899. While classic aged or vintage Port can be expensive, exceptional 10-year or 20-year Tawny Port may only be $30 to $60.
Port originated from the Douro region of Portugal when spirits were added to stabilize the wines for sea shipping to England. Now you can find “Port” made in several countries, including the United States. The best styles of Port for dessert wines are the classics like Ruby, Tawny, and Vintage Ports. Longer aged Ports often have more complexity of flavors, and these can be amazing pairings with chocolate or nut-based desserts. I served a Chocolate Kahlua Cheesecake with my 1963 Port that was perfect for the occasion and delighted my guests.
ICE WINE
Ice wine is one of the most unique wines in the world because it is wholly weather dependent. Grapes are left on the vines until the water inside the grapes freezes naturally. Once harvested, they are pressed while still frozen. Almost all the frozen water is left behind, while the unfrozen, highly concentrated juice from the grape is captured for the wine (often only 10-20% of the normal volume). The juice is fermented slowly to create the sweet, concentrated wine we know as Ice Wine (or Eiswein from Germany and Austria). It may surprise you, though, that Canada produces more Ice Wine than any other country. I also saw several examples from the Finger Lakes region in New York during my recent trip there. Due to the labor and patience required, these wines tend to cost a bit more than normal with high-quality 375ml bottles in the $70 range.
Riesling is the traditional grape used for Ice Wine, but you may see other grapes being used, particularly in Canada where Vidal Blanc is prevalent. Similarly to Sauternes, crème brûlée and pear or apple tarts work well, but a nice panna cotta or a vanilla-based dessert would be delicious too. Whatever you choose, you can count on Ice Wine to deliver a rare and unforgettable taste of nature’s extremes.
SWEET CHAMPAGNE
Regular readers know how much I love champagne, and a sweet champagne can be an intriguing way to cap off a nice meal. To choose one, though, you need to understand the various categories on champagne labels. Champagne always goes through a second fermentation process to create bubbles in the bottle. The bottles are disgorged to remove the leftover dead yeast cells from that second fermentation. A “dosage” can then be added to both top off the bottle and enhance the wine’s flavor. The dosage is a liqueur typically made from reserve wines and pure cane sugar. The dosage is measured in grams per liter of sugar, and that measured sugar level determines which category of champagne you see on the label. From the sweetest to driest, the order is: Doux, Demi-Sec, Sec, Extra Dry, Brut, Extra Brut, and Brut Nature. For dessert champagne, the Doux, Demi-Sec, and Sec are the best choices, but the Demi-Sec is often the easiest to find.
Several of the large champagne houses make Demi-Sec champagne, and you may have noticed the Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial on a wine store shelf. Two other widely distributed houses with Demi-Sec are Laurent-Perrier and Veuve Clicquot. While prestige bottles can be expensive, the Nectar Impérial is about $55. I was fortunate to taste the Veuve Clicquot “Rich” on my last trip to Champagne, which is one of the increasingly rare Doux champagne still being made. It was paired with a beautiful vanilla-flavored dessert. We were all astonished at how the overt sweetness of the champagne was hardly noticeable, while the core wine flavors were bursting on the palate. This experience certainly convinced me that a well-made sweet Champagne offers a delightful and sophisticated way to end any meal.
A SWEET LEGACY OF CELEBRATION
It’s clear that dessert wines rank among the most age-worthy creations in the wine world. Their high residual sugar, balanced acidity, and – in the case of fortified wines – elevated alcohol act as a natural preservative. The finest bottles will evolve gracefully for decades or even a century. A great Sauternes, Auslese Riesling, or a Vintage Port can develop profound complexity over time, revealing layers of honey, dried fruit, nuts, and spice that reward patient cellaring far beyond most dry red or white wines. Beyond the styles explored here, the broader world of dessert wines includes other legendary treasures such as Hungary’s Tokaji Aszú, Loire Valley sweet Chenin Blancs, and many other noble-rot and late-harvest wines from around the world.
For those of us who collect wine, these treasured bottles offer one of the most accessible ways to experience a birth-year wine like I did with my 1963. However, please don’t think you have to be a collector to get that same experience. Dessert wines age so reliably it can be relatively easy and affordable to locate an outstanding bottle from a specific vintage. Even better, the chances for enjoyment often exceed those of a comparable dry wine of the same year. Whether you want to mark a milestone with a decades-old Port or simply savor a glass of Ice Wine or Demi-Sec Champagne at the end of a meal, dessert wines have the unique ability to turn ordinary moments into lasting memories.
Follow Jim on Instagram, @tx_wine_pilot, for more wine tips and reviews.
Biography:
Jim Peterson is a retired U.S. Air Force officer who mainly flew the A-10 fighter jet. He has ties to the wine business going back over 25 years, has visited many wine regions, tasted the world’s top wines, and is an avid wine collector. His business, The Texas Wine Pilot, offers customized in-home wine tastings, corporate wine tastings, executive wine training, a wine concierge service, and wine collecting consultations. Visit txwinepilot.com or email him at jim@txwinepilot.com for more information.
