"dessert wine" news and stories

Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto D'Acqui 2005 is a sparkling dolce (sweet) red wine of 7% abv. which comes in 375 ml. (half size- $10) and 750 ml. bottles from Strevi, Italy.

Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto D'Acqui 2005 is a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantia Brachetto D'Acqui just like the Marenco Pineto Brachetto D'Acqui 2005 I recently reviewed. This means it is of a certified origin and a mildly sparkling wine made from the light, red Brachetto grape. Brachetto D'Acqui is made primarily in the Asti, Roero, and especially Alessandria areas in the Piemonte region. It is the red version of the Moscato d'Asti sparkling dessert wine. In the past fifteen years there have also been a few dry sparkling Brachetto wines created, but so far they haven't been made widely, and are quite rare.

The Banfi Rosa Regale is a bit less sweet and intense, and has a slightly higher alcohol level, than the Marenco Pineto Brachetto D'Acqui 2005. It is a dark ruby red and has an aroma of red berries and a hint of roses. The taste is of raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, and grapes. It works well as an aperitif or with desert, and even between courses to refresh the palate.

Brachetto d'Acqui wines, especially the Banfi Rosa Regale, are some of the few wines that go well with chocolate, especially dark and bittersweet ones. So if it's late at night, and you're cuddling with your significant other and you need a bit of refreshment, try the scrumptious combination, exchanging sips and nibbles by candlelight. Have a Happy and Cozy New Year!

As you know I have been working my way through the World of Dessert Wines the past few weeks for the holidays, and it's a Big List. This week I took some time off the stickies to focus more on the bubblies and sparklers for New Years. Well it looks like the folks at the New York Times decided to step up to bat and help me out in an area of sweet wines that I love dearly, but whose cost is quite dear as well, Tokaji Aszu from Hungary. I briefly mention Tokaji Aszu when I talked about Noble Wines two weeks ago and a bit more in my Dessert Wine Glossary. They are some of the best dessert wines made in the world and I was planning on going in-depth about them this week, but the holiday crunch has kept me on my feet and running around like a madman.

Thankfully the New York Times did a great article and review on the Hungarian Tokaji Aszu dessert wines, with a slide show and monologue on the style and their top picks. (Click on the pic in the linked article where it says 'Multimedia', and 'Wines of The Times: Tokaji Azsu' for the slide show.)

The article and slide show left me drooling and counting my pennies and loose change to see if I can afford to get a few myself. I think I'll have to break into my vacation stash of hoarded change and visit a CoinStar machine at my local supermarket so I can try and get together the dough for a few 6 Puttanyos, an Aszueszencia, and hopefully an Eszencia before I run broke. I mention above that Tokaji Aszu are some of the best dessert wines in the world, but to my taste the may just be the best deal for the money, or at least tying with Ice Wines for that spot. Enjoy!

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The Alvear Solera 1927 is 16% abv. and comes in a 375 ml. bottle for around $20-2$5. It is a dark reddish brown in color with a heavy body. The aroma is of dates, figs, prunes, and raisins. It is bit deeper and more complex than its cousin the vintage Alvear Pedro Ximénez De Anada 2003 because of being made in an old solera. The taste is also quite complex with dark caramel, maple syrup, dates, prunes, and hints of coffee and dark chocolate. It is an exquisite and warming sweet wine that goes great with dessert, sharp and complex blue cheese, and as an aperitif over ice. It will stay in great shape over several weeks or months once opened if kept sealed in the fridge.

The Alvear Solera 1927 is made from Pedro Ximénez grapes which are dried on straw mats in the sun and turned carefully by hand every day until they lose much of their moisture. When they are pressed they give off an amazingly thick and sweet brown must (juice) containing at least 300 grams of sugar per liter, creating the basis for a raisin wine.

Then the must is fortified with neutral spirits to nine percent alcohol. This young wine is called vino tierno (tender wine.) As the fermentation progresses the alcohol level is eventually increased to16-18 percent, partially through the use of more neutral spirits. Then the wine is matured using the slow solera (steps) and criadera (nursery) system.

It is made in a solera that was started in 1927. The Solera (steps) and Criadera (nursery) system is where wine is put up in a series of very large casks, set up in levels/stairs. As the oldest/lowest cask matures and has part of the wine removed to bottle, then wine is added to the oldest cask from the next oldest, and so on up the levels, so that over the years new wine is added to older wine, being added to even older wine. Usually there are 12-14 steps in a criadera with the bottom one containing the oldest wine called the solera, and the one up called the first criadera, then the second criadera, and so on up the stairs. The wines in the solera tend to end up with many similarities from the intermingling of the various vintages over the years, and in this case every bottle still has an infinitesimal amount of the original wine from 1927.

Located in the town of Montilla, in the province of Cordoba, in Andalucia, Alvear S.A. was built by Diego de Alvear in 1729, and has remained under control of the Alvear family ever since. This is the oldest winery in the area and its fino wine is one of the top three in Spain. The vineyards are located at an elevation of 1,050 ft. and are formed of the famous chalky soil called Albariza with 40-year-old vines.

Here is a glossary of terms involving sweet, dessert wines, a bookmark-worthy reference for anyone interested in dessert wines.

Abv.- Alcohol by Volume, the amount or percentage of alcohol by volume in wine, beer, or spirits.
Anjou- A wine region of France in the Western Loire around the town of Angers that became known in the 1500-1600's for sweet wine production. The white Cote de Layon is known as the best of these, there are also the Rosé d'Anjou and the red Cabernet d'Anjou. Sweet wine is now only a small percentage of the wine produced in this region.
Appellation- geographical areas that are certified and have regulations governing the wines made there.
Asti- a town and province in Piemonte/Piedmont, Italy known for sweet and sparkling wines.
Asti Spumante- A sweet sparkling wine made in Asti with 7-9.5% abv and high carbonation, 3.5-4 atmospheres of pressure, produced from moscato bianco grapes.
Aszú- A tokaji wine
Ausbruch- an Austrian wine style very similar to Aszú and developed at the same time. Made with a combination of botrytized and regular grapes.
Auslese- See German Labeling Laws

Chambers Rosewood Vineyards Rutherglen Muscadelle NV (non-vintage) is a Tokay style dessert wine made in Rutherglen, Australia and is 18.5%abv. It has a rather unique deep orange color that is very attractive and a nice medium/heavy body. The aroma is mild with hints of mollasses and a faint touch that I haven't noticed in other dessert wines of a nice, winy soy sauce. The taste is that of molasses and black tea brewed with slightly bitter rose petals, followed by rich buckwheat honey, and again that hint of soy sauce. It's a very nice combination of flavors. I found it locally for $17 for a 375 ml. bottle.

It is made with a blend of six to ten-year-old Muscadelle wines. This is a mildly fortified wine with the fermentation process being halted early with the addition of small amounts of neutral spirits and then the wine is aged in wooden casks in the solera. The solera style is a wine making method used in the production of Spanish sherry where some of the old wines are drawn off for bottling and then the rest are topped up by wines from the next oldest level and so on.

The wine makers say that the wine will keep for months if sealed and while I know it won't last that long in my house, it has lasted for several weeks with me partaking of a small glass every now and then as the whim strikes.