Sweet 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, sugars contribute to a full-bodied and smooth sensation, which gradually, as the amount increases, becomes true sweetness. A sweet wine can be either still or passito, sparkling or fortified.

Sweet wines are generally paired according to the rule of concordance, that is, with desserts. However, there are many distinctions and some exceptions, depending on the type of sweet wine in question. Sweet non-sparkling wines, actually almost always sparkling with a higher or lower carbon dioxide content are had 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. Passito and botrytized wines, as well as late harvests, go well with dry pastries (e.g., cantuccini), but in many cases they are a formidable match for blue cheeses, since their strong concentration in sugars effectively contrasts with the piquancy and aromaticity of the cheese. The same applies to sweet fortified wines, which should be paired with very intense and structured desserts and can also hold their own when paired with chocolate.

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