The Art of Dessert Wines

Send us a text Sweet wines are often purchased during tastings but rarely opened at home due to our psychological tendency to prefer sweeter options in small quantities rather than full glasses. • Four different styles of dessert wine explained - late harvest, cane cut, muscat, and botrytised Sauternes • Dessert wines need sugar levels above 50 grams per litre to be classified as sweet • The psychology of purchasing dessert wines mirrors the Pepsi-Coke taste test experiment • Late harvest wines concentrate natural sugars through raisining without botrytis influence • Cane cut is a uniquely Australian technique where the cane is cut from the trunk to trigger raisining • Botrytised wines like Sauternes require specific climate conditions with morning fog • Dessert wines are often best paired with salty, fatty foods rather than desserts • Blue cheese, terrine, and prosciutto create excellent contrasting pairings with sweet wines • Most dessert wines don"t require extended aging and should be enjoyed within a decade • Opening a special bottle can make an ordinary day feel like a special occasion Don"t wait for a special occasion to open that dessert wine you"ve been saving. Get a nice cheese board, invite some friends over, and make opening the bottle the occasion itself. Follow us on instagram @winewithmegandmel