Dessert Wine?!
Answers: Recommend some to me! Thanks
There are a couple of different issues involved in answering this question: 1) do you want a wine to serve with/at dessert or 2) do you want a really sweet wine?
There are a number of grape varietals that traditionally yield sweeter wines than others. Those include the previously mentioned "reisling" and another traditionally German varietal "gewurtztraminer." When you look for either of these at a wine shop, you should ask the following question:
"How much residual sugar does this wine have?" The answer should be phrased in percentage terms. The broadest possible rules of thumb will look *something* like this: 0-.5% not so sweet, .5-1.0% pretty sweet, 1-2% really sweet, over 2% use on pancakes at Sunday brunch.
There are wines that are very "sweet" and might be considered a "dessert wine," that are actually amazing enough to pair with very serious food. The first example of this that comes to my mind are Sauternes, they are delightful and generally rather pricey.
Another traditional "dessert" wine would be "ice wine" (there is a german spelling too, but I can't force myself to spit it out at this late hour ;-) It is made after allowing grapes to freeze before juicing them. It intensifies the sugars and yields a thicker, more viscous wine in the end.
Just because a wine is sweet does NOT mean that you should serve it with dessert. A prime example here would be any white zinfandel. These wines are made by adding sugar to the wine. IMHO...yuck. But wine is like art, or music, everyone has different taste and different preferences. So taste a lot, and decide what YOU enjoy. Anyone who belittles you should jump in a lake.
Have a wonderful time.
Cheers!
Added information:
I would definitely look to a Sauternes or a Reisling Auslese if you want it to "be" the dessert. As a rule, both of these types are fruity and elegant. A late harvest Sauvignon Blanc would be another option. One advantage to these wines is that they are frequently available in 375mL "half bottles." As a result you are not obligated to buy (or pay for!) more than you intend to serve.
Brandy.
Bailey's Irish Cream is my favorite alchoholic dessert drink.
I LOVE dessert wines! I'm from Missouri, so I'm partial to St. Jame's Winery, Red Velvet. But for a national brand you can also try Manischewitz. It's a Jewish wine, it's very rich in taste. It comes in concorde grape and blackberry. Both are very good.
Reisling!
try an late harvest sauvignon blanc or a bottle of
Robert Mondavi muscat Doro
A lovely Australian dessert wine is made by Tempus Two winery. You wont be disappointed!
The short answer is German Trockens and French Sauternes, these were made for desserts. An ice wine is a gimmick, cheap and better for pancakes, not crepes. It is true that a good sauterne or trocken will not be cheap, but they can be had for say $50. Remember though, 1 bottle will serve a whole party(you don't need a lot, just a drizzle on a dessert, let the wine do its magic).
try a chateau st. michelle Ice Wine..