Pinotage

Dessert Wines

Dessert wines are those wines which are typically served with dessert, although they are also drunk on their own, i.e. not accompanying food. They are often sweet wines such as ice wine, Sauternes, Tokaji Aszú, Beerenauslese, Bermet, Trockenbeerenauslese and Commandaria or fortified wines such as sherry, port and vin doux naturel. Often these wines are very sweet and people tend to not drink them in large quantities. For this reason dessert wines are popular in smaller 375 ml bottles in addition to larger ones.

Legally in the United States, dessert wine refers to wines of 14% alcohol or greater. Historically these were fortified, as table wines were typically 12.5%. With a greater emphasis on ripe fruit, many dry unfortified wines, particularly Zinfandels, reach 15% or more and are thus legally considered dessert wines, and are taxed at a higher rate. Many dessert wines have a much lower alcohol level. For example, many German dessert wines only reach 7-8%

Despite their name, many of these wines are not particularly well suited for consumption with desserts but are more suitably consumed on their own or with very rich savoury foods such as foie gras. Additionally dessert wines are drunk with pudding, as they are thought to bring out the flavor. Sweet wines of this type are often served as dessert.

Like dinner white wines, white dessert wines are generally served chilled. Red dessert wine are served at room temperature or slightly chilled. Dessert wines are especially good with fresh bakery sweets and fruits.

Sherry

Sherry is a type of wine originally produced in and around the town of Jerez, Spain; and hence in Spanish it is called "Vino de Jerez". The town's Persian name during the Rustamid period was Xerex (Shariz, in Persian ????), from which both sherry and Jerez are derived. This was because the founder of the empire, Rustam Shirazi (meaning from the city of Shiraz) wanted to produce a wine in remembrance of the famous Shiraz wine in Iran (Persia).

Spanish producers have registered the names Jerez / Xérès / Sherry and will prosecute producers of similar wines from other places using the same name. By law, Sherry must come from the triangular area of the province of Cádiz between Jerez, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María. However the name 'Sherry' is used as a semi-generic in the United States where it must be labeled with a region of origin such as American Sherry or California Sherry. In earlier times sherry was known as sack (a rendering of sec, 'dry').

Sherry is a fortified wine, made in Spain from three types of grapes: Palomino, Pedro Ximenez, and Muscat (Moscatel). Sherry-style wines made in other countries often use other grape varieties.

Fortified Wine

A fortified wine is a wine to which additional alcohol has been added, the most common additive being brandy (a spirit distilled from wine).

The original reason for fortification was to preserve wines, as the higher alcohol level and additional sweetness help to preserve the wine (when supplemental alcohol is added before fermentation finishes, it kills the yeast and leaves residual sugar). Even though other preservation methods exist, the fortification process survives, as consumers have developed tastes for wines preserved this way.

American "Dessert" Wines

Fortified wines of minimal price and quality have a reputation as the intoxicant of choice among the underage and poor; they are often known as "bum wines", due to their perceived association with the homeless. They are typically fortified with grape alcohol. The most popular beverages typically included in this category are Thunderbird, MD 20/20, Cisco, Night Train, and Wild Irish Rose. Buckfast Tonic Wine, Boone's Farm and formerly Ripple have similar reputations, though Ripple is no longer produced. Typical ingredients include added sugars, artificial colorings and flavorings. Most such wines have harsh flavors and are not favored by more typical wine drinkers.