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FAQ: Any suggestions for wines that taste sweet?

This is a popular question because many people prefer sweet wines before they learn to appreciate "dry" wines. There are many sweet tasting white wines, red wines, and blush or pink wines. Then there are dessert wines that are really sweet. Let's take them one at a time...

Off-Dry White Wines

Beginning with white wines that are appealing to new wine drinkers, we'd suggest slightly sweet to medium sweet Riesling wines, especially German Rieslings labeled Auslese (owz-lay-zah) or Spatlese (pronounced schpaat'-lay-zah). Rieslings are light, fragrant, crisp and food versatile. They're also good just by themselves! Still sweeter German Riesling wines are designated as Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, or Eiswein. They rightfully fall into the category of dessert wines (more about this below). Rieslings tend to pair especially well with ethnic Asian & Indian cuisine because the sweetness in the wine helps tame the spiciness of the food.

Other "sweet" (aka "off-dry") white wines to experiment with are Gewürztraminer from Alsace (France) or Moscato from pretty much anywhere. Some very nice Moscato wines are produced in California and can be found even at Trader Joes. Try them. Moscato d'Asti is an Italian fizzy low-alchohol wine that is sweet enough to be served with dessert. If you have a good wine merchant, another wine you might ask for is an "off-dry" (meaning slightly sweet) version of Chenin Blanc. The more you experiment, the more you will learn what pleases you.

You might also enjoy Viognier, not so much for sweetness per se but because Viognier is normally very floral and loaded with tropical fruit flavors. Viognier (pronounced vee-oh-NAY) makes a good match with spicy Asian dishes but will also go very well with crab, lobster, seafood in general, pork, ham and pasta as well as creamy or buttery sauces. It's frequently a good alternative to Chardonnay, which can often overwhelm delicate dishes.

Asti Spumante is an Italian sparkling wine that is on the sweet side and often beloved by novice wine drinkers.

Fruity Red Wines

Moving on, "sweet" red wines are harder to find since sweetness in a red wine is often considered a flaw. Red wines are not usually called "sweet" but they may be classified as "fruity". Don't ask for a sweet red wine, unless you want a dessert wine or Port. What you are looking for is a light-style red wine with lots of fruit.

Red wines to try include French Beaujolais and Beaujolais Noveau, Syrah from American producers, or Shiraz (the same grape) from Austalian vintners.

A lower alcohol wine on the sweet side is Lambrusco from Italy. Riunite is a very affordable Italian brand of Lambrusco that can be found almost anywhere. Serve it chilled. You might also try Ernest & Julio Gallo's "Cafe Zinfandel", a sweetish red wine with a nice combination of fruit and almost a cinnamony undertone, very guzzle-able when cold.

Blush Wines

Many a wine lover started developing their taste for good wine with pink or "blush wines". These wines are produced from red grapes but the red grape skins are separated from the juice during winemaking, leaving only a trace of pink color and none of the tannins that make red wine seem harsh.

We recommend "White Zinfandel", made from the red zinfandel grape but without the skin and tannin. Beringer makes a nice White Zin, as does DeLoach. Both are easily found.

Dessert Wines

If you like VERY sweet wines, you are looking for a "dessert wine". Anything labeled"late harvest" is going to be sweet. These wines were made from grapes that were allowed to hang on the vine longer than usual. Sugars build up and concentrate within the grapes, making 'late harvest" wines naturally sweet. Muscat or a late harvest Riesling (Trockenbeerenauslese) are two sweet wines to try.

The world's most famous late harvest dessert wines (as well as some of the world's most expensive wines überhaupt) are French Sauternes. The undisputed king of Sauternes is Chateau d'Yquem with prices beginning at $180-$400 a bottle. Serve with fruit or, better yet, foie gras to balance the honey rich sweetness of the wine.

Harder to find dessert wines include Hungarian Tokai (or Tokaji) wines where the sweetness level of the wine is indicated by the Puttonyos level (1-6 with 6 being the sweetest) on the label. If you can find these wines, they are a treat.

Or try a port. Port is a "fortified" red wine which means that alcohol has been added to the red wine, making it is higher in alcohol than table wines. Ports can be great with or as dessert. Many good Ports are available, with prices varying widely. Ficklin Port is a brand to try. It has nice sweetness, great ripe fruit flavors and is a wonderful after dinner beverage with or without some walnuts and/or a piece of cheese.

It's all about what you enjoy, and you don't know 'til you try. So we encourage you to experiment. If you'd like to ask a question, or post your comments, please visit our friendly WineBoard. Cheers!

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