{"id":1166,"date":"2019-01-31T14:30:43","date_gmt":"2019-01-31T14:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/powertasting.com\/?p=1166"},"modified":"2019-01-31T15:55:20","modified_gmt":"2019-01-31T15:55:20","slug":"whats-for-dessert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/powertasting.com\/?p=1166","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s for Dessert?"},"content":{"rendered":"

With rare exception, no one goes wine tasting with the exclusive purpose of sipping dessert wines.\u00a0 Sure, that\u2019s the idea if you\u2019re going to Sauternes in France, and maybe in the Canada\u2019s Niagara region, but that\u2019s about it.\u00a0 On the other hand, almost everywhere in Wine Country, there will be winemakers who make a bit of sweet wine as a little extra.<\/p>\n

In Australia, they call them \u201cstickies\u201d, and with good reason.\u00a0 In Italy, they make Vin Santo in Tuscany, Reciotto in Valpolicella and Passito in Sicily.\u00a0 Canada and upstate New York have their ice wines.\u00a0 Of course, there\u2019s Port in Portugal.\u00a0 And in California, as you might expect, many wineries have a dessert wine available and they\u2019re all very different.\u00a0 Among our favorites are Grgich Hills<\/a>\u2019 Violetta<\/em>, Dry Creek Vineyards<\/a>\u2019 Soleil<\/em>, and Beringer\u2019s<\/a> Nightingale<\/em>.<\/p>\n

There are a lot of different types of dessert wines.\u00a0 The best, in many people\u2019s opinion, are the wines affected by the botrytis fungus that sucks almost all the moisture out of the grapes.\u00a0 The resulting shriveled fruit is very sweet and very concentrated.\u00a0 In Sauternes, it happens almost every year, but elsewhere it happens sometimes and sometimes not.\u00a0 Ice wines are made in climates where the grapes can freeze in late autumn.\u00a0 In warmer places, they just leave the grapes on the vines and produce late harvest wines.\u00a0 In our opinion, Port only comes from the Douro Valley in Portugal, but many others make a wine they call Port, made from Zinfandel and other white grapes.<\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy of Royal Design.<\/em><\/p>\n

So wherever you travel, if you want to tickle your sweet tooth after drinking dry wine, here are some tips.<\/p>\n