All About Wine And Its Goodness!

Food and wine have been paired for centuries, most likely because people believe some combinations just taste better when they are together than when served alone. Traditional rules of pairing are not often followed for modern meals, partially because people have found they prefer to rely on their individual tastes to decide which combinations taste the best. Dessert wines, however, are almost always served with fruit or bakery sweets, although they are sometimes enjoyed alone after the meal. True appreciation of that type of wine, though, begins with knowing what sets them apart from other types.

Although many vintners will disagree, the creation of a fine vintage does not necessarily begin in the vineyard. Granted, there are a few varieties that are known for being especially sweet, but many of them require additional flavorings to stave off blandness. The sweetness of grapes can even be enhanced by harvesting them later or by exposing them to more sunlight, both of which can be difficult to control. As a result, many dessert wines are not a result of the grape growing process, but of the amount of sugar added before or after fermentation. In Germany, for example, sugar is increased by adding grape juice after fermentation, which has the side effect of lowering the alcohol content. Other techniques for increasing sweetness include using grapes that have a specific type of mold on them, freezing out some of the water, or drying the grapes before fermentation.

In every country, wine is classified according to the variety of grapes included, the final percentage of alcohol content, the overall flavor and the general color. Unfortunately, the categories can vary greatly from one location to another, depending on laws and customs. For example, the dessert wines category includes wine with a high sugar content. In the US, that category also includes having an alcohol content higher than 14%, even if the content is due to alcohol fortification. In the UK, on the other hand, that category includes any sweet wine that is consumed with a meal, but does not include any that are fortified.

Wine selection and food pairings can be something of a controversial process. Some experts claim that certain combinations should always be served together, while others insist that selection and pairing should be based on the individual palate. Both sides seem to agree, however, that dessert wines should be served after the meal, whether alone or with an actual dessert. They also agree, in this case, that selection and pairing with a dessert involves actually tasting the wine to figure out what suits your individual tastes.

Tags: dessert wines, food and wine, grape growing, grape juice, grape variety, vineyard

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 9th, 2009 at 2:22 pm and is filed under dessert wine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.