Sweet and Dessert Wines
The
Pacific Northwest makes dozens of delicious sweet, late harvest, dessert,
and ice wines, all of which are sweet.
Here is a list of what's available now,
with our favorites at the top of the list.
Check out these additional pages with
more Sweet Wines:
Oregon Wines
to Sweeten
the Holidays
By Cole Danehower
Oregon Wine Report
As this year's winter rains finally come
to Oregon, and the logs crackle with flame as we sit peacefully reflecting
on the season's joys, there is nothing else like a well-made sweet
wine to enhance the warmth and good feelings that comprise this time
of year. And yet here in the land of Pinot noir, sweet wines rarely
get the respect they deserve. Too bad! Those who know better will have
a more fulfilling holiday season as they stop and sip the sweet wines
of Oregon.
Andrew
Rich's Les Vigneaux Gewurztraminer late harvest wine has
to be at the top of my list of holiday favorites-this little bottle
packs a wallop of flavor! For one thing, Andrew has brought out the
natural spiciness of the Gewurztraminer grape in a wonderfully balanced
wine that, though sweet, is so much more than just sweet. Far too
many late harvest-style wines seem to offer intense sweetness as
the measure of quality, when in fact it is varietal flavor that is
the hallmark of greatness in late harvest wines.
Andrew's wine serves up a wonderful example
of Gewurztraminer's apricot and nectarine fruitiness, along with hints
of tart orange and a tangy allspice and clove-infused honey character
that is simply delicious. Thankfully, the sweetness in this wine is
balanced by an acidity that keeps it from becoming heavy and overbearing-like
so many sweet wines that are simply, well . . . sweet. In fact, the
sweetness in this wine acts not as a bludgeon of sugar, but rather
as a soft backdrop upon which the flavors of the grape can be painted.
If there is an Oregon wine that signifies Christmas to me, it is this
one!

Sineann's
CJ Port
A wonderful holiday wine of a different
kind is the lightly sweet Silvan Ridge Semi-Sparkling Muscat.
This delightful wine offers a very light-bodied (around 6.5% alcohol)
and lightly sweet style that makes it great for serving at holiday
parties regardless of the time of day. The semi-sparkling Muscat style
was originated by Oregon winemaker Joe Dobbes, some years ago.
The
softly sparkling style is great for bringing out the earthy-sweet
character of the Muscat grape, while still offering a certain verve
through the
soft, barely detectable fizz. Personally, I think it is a wonderful
way to get through all the fruitcake offerings of the season; just
sip the semi-sparkling Muscat and then quickly down the fruitcake.
If you do it right, you'll enjoy the wine and won't even taste the
fruitcake! Two excellent examples of this wine are
produced in Oregon. Winemaker Bryan Wilson at Silvan Ridge/Hinman
Vineyards outside of Eugene makes a superb Semi-Sparkling
Muscat, as does Willamette Valley vineyards, whose
offering is called "Frizzante". Even people who don't
think they like wine very much often find they can't get enough of
the easy-going flavors of this wine-which makes it a great gift choice
as well!

Delicious
Van Duzer Port- highly Recommended
Contrary to popular belief, not all late
harvest wines are intensely sweet. An excellent example of this phenomenon
is the Amity Vineyards late harvest Oregon Riesling.
Fairly bursting with apple and peach flavors, this wine delivers a
wonderful uplifting fruitiness whose sweetness acts as a resonant tune
to the fruit, rather than a singular note of its own. Though residual
sugar is above 9%, this is not a wine that feels dramatically sweet.
The balance is superb, making it an excellent choice of a variety of
sipping situations, from aperitif to dessert-in-a-glass.
It is also true that not all Oregon sweet
wines are of the traditional "late harvest" style. One of
the most popular sweet wines of Oregon is made from raspberries, to
which has been added neutral grape spirits. The "Raspberry
Framboise Vin d' Ete" produced by Eola Hilla
Wine Cellars is a perennial favorite. Made by crushing ripe
raspberries, and then stopping fermentation by the addition of grape
spirits, the result is an intensely concentrated, intensely raspberry,
syrupy sweet wine. Pouring a glass of this is like pouring pure raspberry
puree!
While this wine is more like a fruit liqueur
than a wine, it has an undeniably appealing, in-your-face raspberry
concentration and an incredibly lingering finish as the essence of
the fruit stays in your mouth seemingly forever. This is great stuff
for pouring over ice cream, adding to tonic when the hearthside gets
too warm, or simply enjoying by itself.
This is certainly a wine for sipping by
the fireside, with a warming character that lulls you into contemplation
or romance, depending on your inclination!
Oregon's sweet wines have definitely come
up in quality over the last few years. There are many more wines showing
complexity and balance, and fewer showing simple sweetness. There are
also more winemakers trying different styles, giving us consumers a
wider variety of sweetness to choose from. This is a wonderful trend
that I hope will continue! In any event, I think you'll be happy with
any of the wines reviewed here-they are great to give or get this holiday
season!

Ice Wine is made from grapes
that are frozen on the vine
Some
Ice Wines are made from grapes that are picked when they are very ripe,
then frozen in a freezer. These wines are usually much
less expensive than true ice wines.
About Muscat
by Jim LaMar
Of the four principal varieties of the muscat
grape, including Muscat of Alexandria, Muscat Blanc, Muscat Hamburg,
and Muscat Ottonel, the most widely propagated and also most representative
of the family character is Muscat Blanc, known as Muscat Frontignan in
France and Moscato di Canelli in Italy.
Each muscat produces, with subtle variation,
wines with the distinct, intense, aromatic, sweet, and easily-recognized
scent of muscat and, unusual for most wine varieties, that actually taste
like grapes. Muscat of Alexandria and Muscat Hamburg are, in fact, cultivated
as table grapes, as well as for making wine.
Muscat is a very ancient variety and, with
its strong and distinctive perfume, was probably one of the first to
be identified and cultivated. Nearly every Mediterranean country has
a famous wine based on muscat and varying from light and bone dry, to
low-alcohol sparkling versions, to very sweet and alcoholic potions.
The muscat vine is not very vigorous in
most soil types, especially sandy mixtures, and seems to prefer damp,
deep soils. It also falls victim quite easily to any of several vine
diseases. Normally early in budding, muscat may also suffer from Spring
frosts. All things considered, muscat would not seem to be a grape that
would be cultivated so widely as it is.
The full name is Muscat Blanc à Petits
Grains and the berries are quite small and round, but not always white.
The spectrum includes pale green, pale yellow, golden, pink, red, brown,
and black berries. Some vines produce fruit that can be different colored
each vintage.
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Muscat Smell and/or Flavor Elements
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Varietal Aromas/Flavors:
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Processing Bouquets/Flavors:
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Perfume: terpine
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(best if not aged in wood)
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Spice: coriander
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Fruit: peach, orange
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Jim
LaMar is editor of Professional Friends of Wine, instructs
Introductory Sensory Evaluation of Wine at California State University,
Fresno, and has been drinking, thinking, teaching and writing about
wine for 30 years. He is a member of Professional
Friends of Wine.
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