Dessert Wines

The sweetness of a wine is determined by the presence of residual sugars at the time of bottling. The perception of sweetness in a wine roughly corresponds to a minimum sugar content of 35-40 g/l. From zero to this value, the sugars contribute to a feeling of fullness and softness, which gradually, as the quantity increases, becomes true sweetness. A sweet wine can be still or passito, sparkling or fortified.

Dessert wines are generally paired according to the rule of concordance, i.e. with desserts. However, there are many distinctions and some exceptions, depending on the type of sweet wine in question. Sweet non-sparkling wines, in fact almost always sparkling with a higher or lower carbon dioxide content, go well with classic cakes and fruit tarts, red in the case of red wines. Sweet sparkling wines are ideal with leavened desserts such as pandoro and panettone, or desserts with cream or creams, thanks to the 'degreasing' action of the bubbles. Raisin wines and botrytised wines, as well as late harvests, go well with dry pastries (e.g. cantuccini biscuits) but in many cases they are a formidable match for blue cheeses, since their high concentration in sugars contrasts effectively with the piquancy and aromaticity of the cheese. The same is true for sweet liqueur wines, which go well with very intense and structured desserts and can also stand up to being paired with chocolate.

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