Best sweet wines from around the world: 30 bottles to seek out
There is something magical about the wine world’s sweetest creations. From grapes left out on mats to dry in the sun through to the ‘noble rot’ of botrytis, explore the versatility of these unctuous treats – and you really don’t have to wait ’til Christmas every year!
With its long lunches and decadent dinners, Christmas is undoubtedly a time for indulgence. And few bottles scream ‘indulgent’ like a sweet wine.
Whether it’s a golden Sauternes from Bordeaux or a Hungarian Tokaji to accompany dessert, or a richer Italian appassimento or New World sticky to sip by the fireside, sweet wines are part of many families’ Christmas routines. Yet those traditional niches are just the tip of this sugary iceberg.
Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for Peter Ranscombe’s best sweet wines from around the world
Sweeter Champagnes not only make fine food matches but also provide a warming aperitif to kick off an evening, while the vibrant red hues of a sparkling Shiraz can become a real talking point to get a party started. Once the kids are tucked up in bed, a sweet red can be the ideal accompaniment when raiding that favourite chocolate selection box.
In Europe, wines stop being ‘dry’ if they contain more than four grams of residual sugar in each litre of liquid – a measure of the sweetness left over after sugars in the grapes’ juice are fermented into alcohol.
By the time that residual sugar reaches 45g/L, wines are classed as sweet. Other factors play tricks with our tastebuds though: high acidity masks sweetness, while the palate also perceives alcohol itself as sweet.
Finish with a flourish
Many popular supermarket red table wines – especially from warm, sunny regions like Australia, California and Italy – also contain high residual sugar, some bordering on 20g/L, which may appeal to generations raised on sugary soft drinks. Yet the world’s finest sweet wines have healthy levels of acidity that stop them becoming cloying.
Their sweetness comes from removing water, whether it’s by harvesting grapes later so they raisin on the vine or freeze during winter, for ice wine, or by laying them on mats to dry in the sun for appassimento. The backbone of many styles is noble rot, or Botrytis cinerea. This airborne fungus causes punctures in grapes’ skin so that the water within evaporates, and it’s this that creates famous wines such as Sauternes and Tokaji.
Winemaking regions throughout the world enjoy their sweet wines in different settings at Christmas.
In Bordeaux, Sauternes accompanies festive foie gras or blue and soft cheeses – in both cases, that combination of sweet and salty hits the spot.
Germans opt for an eiswein to serve with their ripe blue cheese, while also enjoying spätlese or auslese Gewürztraminer with gingerbread or Christmas cinnamon biscuits. Their fresher fruit desserts call for spätlese or auslese Riesling.
Christmas may fall during the southern hemisphere’s summer, but that doesn’t stop New World wine regions from breaking out celebratory stickies.
In Australia, lighter Moscato d’Asti pairs with pavlova, while fruitier desserts demand a cane cut-style Semillon or Riesling [where bunches are left hanging on branches that have been detached from the vine until the fruit has become dried]. Botrytised Semillon appeals to traditionalists opting for heavier Christmas pudding.
South Africans choose botrytised sweet wines to serve chilled or over ice alongside crème brûlée, ice cream or panna cotta, while Chileans love late-harvest wines after family lunches or with chocolates. If pumpkin pie is served at Thanksgiving or at Christmas, then Californians reach for an Orange Muscat, or a late-harvest Zinfandel if chocolate or fruitcake is on the menu.
Peter Ranscombe’s best sweet wines from around the world
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Antech, Méthode Ancestrale Doux, Blanquette de Limoux, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
Limoux’s ancestral-method sweet fizz leaps from the glass, with pear, peach and apple sauce aromas filling the room. That fruity trio become even more intense...
AntechBlanquette de Limoux
Taittinger, Nocturne, Champagne, France
Taittinger adds twice the dosage of its Brut Réserve to create Nocturne, which includes grapes from more than 30 crus. Its sweet nose is full...
Taittinger
Michele Chiarlo, Nivole, Moscato d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy, 2020
Some of the carbon dioxide produced when grape sugars ferment into alcohol is captured in Moscato d’Asti, giving the wine its gentle fizz. Michele Chiarlo’s...
2020
Michele ChiarloMoscato d'Asti
Castello Banfi, Rosa Regale, Brachetto d’Acqui, Piedmont, Italy, 2020
Don’t let this sparkling red’s pale Pinot Noir-like colour fool you – it packs a punch with sweet red cherry, raspberry jam and blackcurrant flavours....
2020
Castello BanfiBrachetto d’Acqui
Mollydooker, Miss Molly Sparkling Shiraz, South Australia, Australia, 2019
Few wines defy guests’ aperitif expectations like sparkling Shiraz, and Mollydooker makes excellent examples. Miss Molly has spicy clove and nutmeg notes amid its blackcurrant...
2019
Mollydooker
Rolly Gassmann, Oberer Weingarten de Rorschwihr Vendanges Tardives Gewürztraminer, Alsace, France, 2008
Pronounced aromas of vibrant lemon sherbet, red apple and tinned peach carry through onto the palate, with layers of honey and caramel accompanying the fresh...
2008
Rolly Gassmann
Rolly Gassmann, Rotleibel de Rorschwihr Vendanges Tardives, Alsace, France, 1996
Despite its age, Rolly Gassmann’s Pinot Gris still has awesome freshness to balance its complex flavours, which range from rich golden syrup through tangy lemon...
1996
Rolly Gassmann
Château Laville, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France, 2016
As the University of Bordeaux’s professor of oenology, winemaker Jean-Christophe Barbe knows a thing or two about the noble rot that creates Sauternes. His wine...
2016
Château LavilleSauternes
Domaine des Baumard, Carte d'Or, Coteaux du Layon, Loire, France, 2018
Attractive red apple, lemon curd, spun sugar and honey notes on the nose expand into layers of richness on the palate. The balance between the...
2018
Domaine des BaumardCoteaux du Layon
Donnafugata, Ben Ryé, Passito di Pantelleria, Sicily, Italy, 2019
One of Italy’s great sweet wines, produced from Zibibbo – or Moscato d’Alessandria – on the volcanic island of Pantelleria. Really complex, thanks to dried...
2019
DonnafugataPassito di Pantelleria
Klein Constantia, Vin de Constance, Constantia, South Africa, 2017
South Africa’s flagship dessert wine is all about precision – 20 batches of Muscat de Frontignan were picked over two months, with the wine ageing...
2017
Klein Constantia
Dr Loosen, Riesling Beerenauslese, Mosel, Germany, 2017
Botrytised Riesling grapes from four of the Dr Loosen estate’s own vineyards are selected to make its Beerenauslese, which delivers a complex combination of sweet...
2017
Dr Loosen
Heidi Shröck, Beerenauslese, Neusiedlersee, Burgenland, Austria, 2020
Heidi Schröck and her twin sons Johannes and Georg farm vineyards in a natural amphitheatre at Rust, near Austria’s Hungarian border. Botrytised Welschriesling and Weissburgunder...
2020
Heidi ShröckNeusiedlersee
Eradus, Sticky Mickey Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2017
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc’s classic guava and passion fruit aromas are joined by caramel, honey and peach on the nose, with the variety’s textbook acidity helping...
2017
EradusAwatere Valley
Royal Tokaji, Gold Label Aszu 6 Puttonyos, Tokaj, Hungary, 2016
A classic example of Hungary’s famous botrytised wine, with complex aromas of biscuit, honey and caramel bordering on toffee. Juicy red apple, peach and sweeter...
2016
Royal Tokaji
Berry Bros & Rudd, By Château Climens, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France, 2017
Made for Berry Bros by Château Climens, this Sauternes edges the smokiness up a notch, with an exciting mix of sweet honey and more exotic...
2017
Berry Bros & RuddSauternes
Domaine Castéra, Caubeigt, Jurançon, Southwest France, France, 2019
Produced without botrytis from raisined Petit Courbu and Petit Manseng grapes by fourth-generation winemaker Franck Lihour, who travelled the world for 10 years and brought...
2019
Domaine CastéraJurançon
Zind Humbrecht, Clos Jebsal Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive, Alsace, France, 2018
There’s an almost magical freshness to this biodynamic wine, from the complex and distinctive mix of red and green apple, apricot, honey and a wisp...
2018
Zind Humbrecht
Heinrichshof, Zeltinger Schlossberg Trockenbeerenauslese, Mosel, Germany, 2018
Honey, honey and more honey on the palate, but with enough acidity to keep it fresh. There are also gorgeous flavours of thick lemon curd,...
2018
Heinrichshof
Clarendelle, Amberwine, Monbazillac, Southwest France, France, 2015
Sitting across the Dordogne river from Bergerac lies Monbazillac and its Sauternes-like dessert wines. Here, Semillon and Muscadelle produce a rich wine with an inviting...
2015
ClarendelleMonbazillac
Hattingley Valley, Entice, England, United Kingdom, 2020
Hattingley froze its English Bacchus grapes for a month to replicate the ice wine style. The result is an incredibly fresh wine with notes of...
2020
Hattingley Valley
Château Climens, Cyprès de Climens, Barsac, Bordeaux, France, 2015
Château Climens’ second wine is all about the detail – a touch of toffee, a hint of mint, a dollop of red apple compote. The...
2015
Château ClimensBarsac
Finca Antigua, Moscatel Naturalmente Dulce, La Mancha, Spain, 2020
Moscatel Morisco grapes are left out in the sun to dry until their residual sugar level reaches a dizzying 300g/L. Although the nose is full...
2020
Finca Antigua
Pelee Island Winery, Vidal Icewine, Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada, 2017
Canada’s famous ice wines are produced from grapes left on the vine to freeze – Pelee Island’s Vidal was harvested in the third week of...
2017
Pelee Island WineryPelee Island
Berton Vineyard, Reserve Botrytis Semillon, Riverina, New South Wales, Australia, 2018
Riverina’s intense drought meant Semillon grapes in the Griffith region were left on their vines for longer, waiting for botrytis to form. This had lead...
2018
Berton VineyardRiverina
L'Or du Ciron, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France, 2018
93
A classic Sauternes from Maison Sichel, with a sweet and toasty nose that mixes caramel, spun sugar and biscuit with fruitier red apple, mango and peach. The intensity of the sweetness and the fruit on the palate is balanced by a healthy kick of fresh acidity.
2018
L'Or du CironSauternes
Miguel Torres, Nectaria Botrytis Riesling, Curicó Valley, Chile, 2015
Riesling harvested from Central Chile’s Curicó Valley spends 14 months in French oak to add cinder toffee and caramel hues to its apricot jam and...
2015
Miguel Torres
Damien Pinon, Les Perruches, Vouvray, Loire, France, 2017
An intriguing mix of florals, fondant icing and lemon curd aromas leads into peach, red apple and lemon rind on the palate. This wine lends...
2017
Damien PinonVouvray
Rustenberg, Straw Wine, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 2019
A mix of Chenin Blanc and Viognier grapes are laid on straw mats to slowly dehydrate, losing water to concentrate their sugars. The final wine...
2019
Rustenberg
Allegrini, Giovanni Allegrini, Recioto della Valpolicella, Classico, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, 2015
From the heart of the Valpolicella Classico region, the Allegrini family’s Recioto is made from grapes dried for five months. Dark chocolate and bright blackcurrant...
2015
AllegriniRecioto della Valpolicella
Cline Family Cellars, Late Harvest Mourvèdre, San Francisco Bay, Contra Costa County, California, USA, 2017
This is my choice for chocolate desserts. A combination of raisined grapes and new French oak produces rich dark chocolate and mint aromas, which are...
2017
Cline Family CellarsSan Francisco Bay
