While exploring the Italian cuisine of Cinque Terre, I tried an exquisite dessert wine, called Sciacchetrà. It's sweet and has expressive notes. The drink was brought to us with a plate of homemade pistachio biscotti and biscotti flavored with apricots. Ah, what a splendid way to end a meal! As a lifted the glass of Sciacchetrà to my lips, I could smell a distinctive aroma of apricots and acacia honey.

Just a small glass of Sciacchetrà pairs perfectly with biscotti. As with all dessert wines, this one should be sweeter than the food accompanying it. The slight bitterness of the biscotti balances the intense sweetness of the wine. Sciacchetrà also works well with a slice of panettone.

This rare white wine of very limited production has become a symbol of Cinque Terre. It is produced from the best grapes of the white wines being left to dry in the sun. Several wine shops sell Sciacchetrà. Alternatively, you can find it online. A half a liter sells for approximately $75. It's well worth the splurge.

Peter Lehmann Barossa Valley 2006 Botrytis Semillon is 12.5% abv. / 25 proof and bottled at 13.5 brix. According to Aussiewines.com the Botrytis affected fruit was picked on the 26th April, sourced solely from the Peter Lehmann Semillon vineyard on the banks of the River Para. Chief winemaker Andrew Wigan declared 2006 the best vintage for botrytis development that he has ever experienced. The vintage conditions were perfect. Weather in the latter part of the growing season gave ideal conditions for the natural development of Botrytis on the late picked Semillon grapes which were allowed to develop their intense characters while still on the vine. Approximately 20% of this wine was fermented in new French oak hogsheads. Botrytis affected wines are the most complex and longest lived of all sweet table wine styles. The 2006 vintage is an outstanding edition, and the winemakers are fully confident that it will give pleasure for many years to come. It was a Medal Winner at the Sydney & Melbourne Wine Shows. Peter Lehmann 2006 is a great release from an outstanding vintage for the Barossa's Botrytis Semillon.

The color is a nice medium-light gold with a hint of yellow/green to it. I expect the color to mature over time to a full, rich gold. The aroma is of bright fresh fruit like, pineapple, lemon, pear, with hints of hint of citrus and honeyed botrytis notes. The taste is that of fresh, ripe apricot, lemon zest, orange blossom honey, citrusy acid and botrytis flavors, over the classic semillon taste. This is a young, bright, and fresh tasting dessert wine that should age very well for decades, developing depth and complexity.

I have to pick up a few bottles to lay down to age and see how they develop, because the wine is an excellent young desert wine that shows promise of aging into an amazing mature one. The suggested price of just under $20 for a 375 ml. bottle is a good buy but if you shop around you can pick it up for much less. I paid $13.99 at the New Hampshire State liquor store and that was a steal.

I think we've said it before, but it never hurts to say it again: Happy New Year's Eve, everyone!

Statistically speaking, "40 percent of all champagne and sparkling wine sales in America occur in the last six weeks of the year." This accounts for champagne given as hostess gifts during the holiday season and any drunk at holiday parties, but there is no doubt that the most popular night of the year to enjoy some bubbly is New Year's Eve. Are you going to be one of the many enjoying some bubbly tonight?

I suspect champagne will make an appearance in my evening, as will a bottle of the lovely Chambers Rosewood Vineyards Rutherglen Muscadelle, a dessert wine. I do wish that I had a bottle of Vodka O2, the sparkling vodka, to try out this evening, but I suppose that there will be plenty of time for that next year.

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!

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.

Errazuriz Sauvignon Blanc 2005 Late Harvest is made in the Casablanca Valley, Chile. It is 11.5% abv. with a light body and a very pale yellow color. The aroma is that of mild pineapple and honeydew, as well a combination of the typical Sauvignon Blanc range of aromas. This all comes together in a wine smells like a perfume version of a Sauvignon Blanc.

The taste is pleasantly semi-sweet, with good solid acidity. This is my first time tasting a Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc because they are kind of rare and you don't run across them that often. I was surprised that is was definitely recognizable as a Sauvignon Blanc. Like the aroma, the taste has all the unique Sauvignon Blanc characteristics like fresh fruit and a nice crisp quality from the high acidity, that often get lost in dessert wines. The most identifiable fruit flavors were pear, pineapple, hints of honeydew, and some woody notes.

Chambers Rosewood Vineyards Rutherglen Muscat NV (non-vintage) from Rutherglen, Australia is18.5%abv. and comes in a 375ml. bottle. It has a medium body with an orange/dark amber color. It has a lovely aroma of flowers, oranges, and honey with a complementary taste of dates, honey, spices, and oranges. I could sip on this floral, decadent wine all day long, but at 18.5% abv. I probably wouldn't be able to write after a few hours. I was able to find it locally in NYC for around $17 a bottle which is a great price for this quality of wine. The wine makers say that the wine will keep for months if sealed and I have found that over the past few weeks it has kept very well indeed.

The Chambers Winery has been a family owned and run business since it was started in 1858. The wine making and care of the "old material" (solera style aged wines) have been handed down from father to son through five generations, and for the last 40 years have rested with Bill Chambers.

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. Wines in a solera may be decades or hundreds of years old. 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 wood in the solera.

The Rutherglen Muscat is the entry level of four Muscat's that Chambers produces. Rutherglen, Classic, Grand, and the incredibly pricey, and as the name says, Rare. The Rare Muscat is indeed so rare that distributors for whole countries may only get 1-2 bottles every few years. So don't count on my doing a review on it anytime soon unless one of you Slashfoodies gives me a bottle for the holidays.

By the way don't get the names Muscat and Muscadelle mixed up due to the similar names. They are different grapes with their own unique flavor profiles. The Muscadelle tends to have molasses and tea flavors and the Muscat has a more floral aroma and honey and caramel flavors.

In my introduction to the Basics of Dessert Wines, Ice Wines and my review on Alvear Pedro Ximénez De Anada 2003, I briefly mentioned late harvest, raisin wines, and The Noble Rot. Now it is time to delve a bit deeper into these subjects to explain why dessert wines are so sweet and luscious.

Late Harvest Wines- This is exactly what it sounds like. The grapes are left on the vines for an extended period of time. They grow sweeter and riper, first becoming swollen, and then slowly dehydrate, losing moisture and partially drying out until they start to get slightly shriveled in appearance. As this happens the sugar levels slowly increase to higher, and yet higher levels as the weeks and sometimes months go by.

Sometimes the dehydration process is helped along by workers going through the vineyards and twisting the bunches of grapes, forcing the vines to crush and squeeze shut so that very little or no moisture can get into the grapes. This causes concentrating of the sugars and complex chemical changes and compounds being developed within the grapes, which the French call passerillage.

Nugan Estate KLN Vineyard Botrytis Semillon 2004 is grown and made in Griffith, New South Wales, Australia and a 375 ml. bottle sells in the $16-24 range. The botrytized Semillon grapes give it a deep yellow, golden color with an aroma like that of honey soaked, spiced pickled apricots and peaches like I used to make when I lived down in Georgia. The taste is sweet, rich, and tangy, that of honeyed apricots combined with dried fruit, and a dash of cinnamon and cloves. It has fantastic acidity to balance the sweetness, a good solid botrytis presence, and as it warmed up figs became apparent as a final note. this is an exceptional dessert wine at a great price.

The Nugan wine group started in Valencia, Spain, when the young Alfredo Nugan worked in the fruit export market. In the 1940's Alfredo started the business in Griffith, New South Wales in south east Australia. Using his knowledge from Spain, he imposed innovation and strict quality control to become a top supplier of superior produce. He chose Griffith in South Western New South Wales because of its abundance of sunshine and the availability of water, perfect for year round agriculture.

All the premium wine from the Nugan Estate comes from their own vineyards. The wines are made in a state of the art winery, owned by Nugan Group with the capacity to process 10,000 tons of fruit each year, using the latest wine making technology. The grapes are grown in their vineyards in McLaren Vale, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra, King Valley and the Riverina.

The Brown Brothers Patricia Noble Riesling is a botrytized, late harvest wine from Milawa in Victoria, Australia. The ultra-ripe Riesling grapes give it a deep rich gold color with a smooth and luscious body. The aroma is full of fresh and preserved apricots and peaches. The taste has a great balance of acidity to sweetness, full of flavors including plum, buttery toffee, vanilla, and candied citrus, with a strong botrytis character. It is rich, and smooth with a long, sweet/tart finish. This is a mighty tasty sticky (Aussie for sweet dessert wine) that isn't too sweet and has good acidity leaving you wanting just another sip, and another.

The Brown Brothers Patricia Noble Riesling's have won numerous awards and medals over the past few years. The 2000 vintage is no exception, with a whole slew including the 2002 Gold Canberra Wine Show, 2002 Gold Sydney Wine Show, 2002 Gold Hobart Wine Show, and the Willmes Trophy Canberra 2002 for Best Sweet Table Wine. It retails for around $18-25US.

Dessert wines are fascinating to me, not only for their scrumptious sweet tastes, but also for the many complicated and unusual ways in which they are made. Most, but not all dessert wines tend to be higher in alcohol than regular wines. This is due to the large amount of sugars in the fresh juice, the more sugar, the greater the final alcohol levels produced during fermentation.

In taste these wines have a bold array of flavors like honey, apricot, peach, tropical fruit, caramel, dates, raisins, citrus, berries, floral notes, and much more. In body they progress from thin, light and barely sweet; to syrupy thick, sugar bombs. In color they run the spectrum from pale white to deep gold and light rose to orange and deep red. In style they can be still wines, slightly fizzy, or super bubbly tongue tinglers.

I use the term dessert wine to describe all wines that are mid to high quality, sweet wines that tend to be drunk after dinner or with dessert, or more appropriately as dessert, since many sweet wines actually don't go well when paired with sweet foods. Sweet and dessert wines have been around since the early days of the Roman Empire, some say even longer. They may have been the first wines that traveled outside the region in which they were made. This is because many of them have higher alcohol levels, as well as the large amounts of sugars; both of which when combined help to make wines age and travel well.