Another group of unique and hedonistic holiday wines are dessert wines…they are a perfect ending to a long meal and often can match well with certain holiday dishes, such as foie or cheese.  Dessert wines are under-appreciated and often misunderstood…even by wine lovers.  The dessert wines I serve to my classes often cause surprise…many clients have never tried high quality sweet wines and they are often astonished by what they taste. There are so many types…but today I would like to recommend three:

Gramona Vi de Gel Gewurztraminer (15€): a light and aromatic semi-sweet wine from Cataluña that is perfect with any type of foie: paté, mi-cuit or seared fresh.  This is an “ice wine”, but instead of leaving the grapes on the vine until frozen, the freezing is done artificially.  The results, though not as complex as a real ice wine, are very elegant and fresh.   

Tokaji Aszú: A Hungarian dessert wine and one of the finest sweet wines in the world.  This dessert wine is elaborated with grapes infected with noble rot or botrytis…same as the famous Sauternes wines of Bordeaux. The strong points of these wines are complex flavours and an ideal balance between acidity and residual sugar.  Sweet, yet refreshing…never cloying.  The level of sweetness is indicated by the number of puttonyos indicated on the label.  3 puttonyos, which is widely available, is semi-sweet, and is best served as an aperitif wine or with savory dishes such as foie…4 puttonyos can go either way.  For a full dessert wine experience, stick with 5 or 6 puttonyos….complex and sweet wines with one of the longest finishes in the wine world.  The most common brands available in Spain are Oremus (which is owned by Vega Sicilia), Disnoko, and Royal Tokaji (18-60€ price range depending on the puttonyos).

Old Sweet Oloroso Sherries:  A very misunderstood category of sherries.  These are similar to cream sherries, but generally are much higher quality.  Think of a wonderful old dry oloroso with it’s nutty complexity and imagine adding a touch of raisiny Pedro Ximenez wine….the combination is spectacular.  The acidity and complexity of the oloroso combine perfectly with the grapy sweetness of the PX.  Unfortunately in Spain, most people focus on the varietal wine PX, which can be exquisite, but is almost undrinkable due to its syrupy, cloying nature.  The sweet olorosos are just as complex, but much more drinkable….lower sugar levels and some acidity ensure a wonderful balance in the mouth.  At the moment a re-discovered favourite that offers great value is the Lustau East India Solera (15€).  Another favourite is the Matusalem of Gonzalez Byass (30€)…more expensive but also more complex.    These wines are also wonderful because their oxidized nature permits you to keep the bottle open for several weeks, enjoying the wine one glass at a time!

These are just three examples of some great Christmas stickies….be adventurous and you’ll be amazed at some of the treasures you’ll discover! Though Spain does not have the richest of dessert wine traditions, there are many interesting sweet wines out there to try!