Here are 4 Great Sweet White Wines and How to Pair Them.
These wines prove that not every wine needs to be red or dry.
4 Great Sweet White Wines and How to Pair Them
We seem to rarely see these wines paired with food it would seem.
However, there are occasions when these wines are indeed a smart choice.
When it comes to pairing wine with food, we often see the red wines.
Red wine is a popular choice for many, including myself.
Also, when we pair red wine with food, we also almost get a good result.
It is also true that the dry wines get paired quite a bit.
I must say that I have been guilty of this. It could be because many of my favorite foods go better with a red wine, a dry one at that.
However, white wines should also get their due attention.
While there may not be as many good sweet wine wines available as there are dry ones, there are options just the same.
So, let us consider some of the sweet white wines that are popular and available and what we can serve them with.
Sweet wine happens when there is residual sugar left over after the fermenting process has taken place.
Sometimes the sugar is barley there, making a wine less dry. Other times the sugar is really there and noticeable. Both kinds of wine have their purpose in their world.
When it comes to white wines, the sweet wines are usually light or bold.
The light white wines have a bit of sugar in them and are often aromatic to the nose.
On the other hand, the bolder sweet wines have been blessed with a more noticeable taste.
I mentioned that the sugar that makes wine sweet is left over from the fermentation process.
Well, sometimes this can happen on purpose when the fermentation process is purposely cut short to make the wine sweeter.
I should also mention that if a white wine has a lot of fruit (fruit forward) we can perceive the wine as being sweeter than it actually may be thanks to the aroma of the fruit.
To really get an idea of how sweet your white wine may be you can always do this.
Read the label on the bottle. The label will usually give you a description of the wine in addition to the kind of wine.
But, even better, a label can tell you if the wine has been fortified and is sweeter as a result. Also check out the alcohol content as sweeter wines tend to have a higher content of alcohol in them.
White wine has been fermented without the grape skins included.
The skins of the grape are what can give the wine its color. Also, white wine, as you probably already know, can come in variation of yellow color.
By the way, while you are here you may also be interested in these ideas.
- The Flavors of the Top 8 Wines.
- What the Smell of Wine Can Tell You.
- 5 Foods to Pair With Sauvignon Blanc.
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4 Great Sweet White Wines and How to Pair Them
4 Great Sweet White Wines and How to Pair Them
This is a listing of four of the most popular sweet white wines.
These wine choices have their special place when it comes to pairing them with food.
White wines that are sweet generally fall into one of two categories.
A light white wine that is sweet will usually be aromatic. You will most likely experience the abundant fruit in this wine.
However, a white wine that is more bold are more intense and have their usually specific purpose in a pairing.
Ice Wine
I am starting my list of sweet white wines with what could possibly the sweetest of the bunch.
Ice Wines are made from frozen grapes, hence the name 'Ice Wines'. The frozen grapes are then pressed and fermented resulting in a rich and very sweet wine. Because the grapes have been frozen, the sugar has been concentrated and the there is less yield in liquid.
Because the process of making ice wine yields less wine, it is often an expensive wine.
But, it is more intense as well.
Pairing Ice Wine can still be possible.
Pair this wine with cheese- A stronger cheese, such as blue cheese, offers a nice balance in taste.
Pair this wine with desserts- Fruit based desserts work well with this wine.
Sherry is a sweet white wine that is not as sweet as Ice Wine.
Now you may be wondering about this one since there are a lot of Dry Sherry choices out there.
The truth is that Sherry is a fortified wine that can be really dry or really sweet or somewhere in the middle.
Sherry is a Bold wine that can also be really sweet.
Certainly you could sip your Sweet Sherry all by itself.
However, you could pair it with a simple dessert such as brownies, vanilla ice cream or even fruit.
Pairing Sherry with a bold cheese, such as blue cheese. This is a wine at room temperature.
Moscato can fall somewhere in the middle of sweet and dry.
Some folks call Moscato 'semi-sweet'. Made from the Moscato grape, this is a very aromatic wine.
It is the aroma that can make Moscato seem to be sweeter than it may actually be.
Moscato is a fruity and floral tasting wine that can be paired easily.
Pair your Moscato with spicy foods (especially Asian!), aromatic foods, or poultry or fish. It is pretty versatile with foods that are not too heavy, such as beef. As far as cheese goes, try a medium or firm cheese such as Muenster or Parmesan. Also, Moscato is relatively inexpensive and works well with brunch or antipasto dishes.
Rielsing wine is a fruit and aromatic wine.
While the Riesling grape can be grown about anywhere, it is native and the most popular grown grape in Germany (Rhine).
This wine does well when served really cool.
Riesling wine is a sweet and aromatic wine.
Pair Riesling with a bold or salty cheese to balance out the sweetness. Feta is a good choice.
Riesling also pairs well with bold and spicy food such as Asian. This wine can also be paired with fish and poultry.