Dessert wine

[Spidersue]

Next weekend I'm doing the dessert course for a "safari supper" where we go to different house for each course. I'm doing a variety of desserts incl strawberry mousse, lemon meringue roulade, maybe a cheesecake.  I've got to supply drink ie a dessert wine, not something I've ever drunk.  I've bought a bottle of sweetish wine called Sichel from Morrisons but any other suggestions would be welcome.  Also, should dessert wine be chilled or at room temperature?

[Clanad]

You may wish to consider Lancers Rose' , a Jose Maria da Fonseca Portuguese wine.  It comes in an attractive terra cotta bottle (requires a cork screw).  Well received by our guests as a dessert wine...( being a rose', it's best served lightly chilled)

[Spidersue]

Many thanks,I'll look for that

[The Tiggster]

Although not nearly as sweet as a dessert wine, a white Zinfandel (rose wine) such as Ernest & Julio Gallo is delicious with desserts. It's not too tart after pudding & not a sickly as a dessert wine. Serve chilled.

Cheesecake? mmmmmmm..!

[Pinotage]

Any wine lover expecting a dessert wine would be extremely dissapointed to be served Lancers (a Mateus Rose knockoff), or a white Zinfandel from anyone.

A dessert wine should be a luscious sweet wine with enough acidity to make you want another glass. They are usually sold in half bottles as you drink much less than a normal table wine.

 

If you know nothing about wine, go in a decent wine shop like Oddbins and ask for advice. If you shop in a supermarket look at the half-bottles in the white wine section. Sweet wines are more expensive - because they produce less wine during production - but you need less. I would suggest that Brown Brothers Orange Muscat and Flora at around �5 for a half bottle is well priced and delicious. I agree also with the suggestion of Muscat de Beaumes de Venise (also found in 75cl bottle sizes)

Sichel is the name of a wine producer/marketer.

 

Dessert wine should be well chilled.

[Clanad]

Well, excuse me... If what you're wanting in a dessert wine is treacly sweetness rather than a palate cleansing freshness, than why not buy a bottle of Thunderbird at $1.95 and be done with it.  As for Lancer's being a Mateus knockoff, the classic Portuguese rose that reintroduced many to a corkscrew is a shiny bright pink with a light floral aroma and a hint of spritz on the tongue. Sweet with a bit of berries at first balanced by crisp acidity and a smooth finish. It's surprisingly well made but then the 60-year-old brand comes from J.M. da Fonseca, a maker of solid reds as well...

[Pinotage]

I'm sorry if I've upset Clanad, but by definition a dessert wine is a very sweet wine, such as Sauternes, Tokay, late harvest, ice-wine, beerenauslese, or Port.

Wonderful though Lancers and white Zinfandel may be, they are not dessert wines. That's why a wine lover would be dissapointed if they came expecting a dessert wine.

Re your recommendation of  Thunderbird I don't believe its available in the UK.

[Billa]

Hello

Although I am a whisky and white wine man I do like to try out things I have never tried before and one of those is sweet wine. The couple of sweet wines that I really like are:

Muscat De Beaums - http://www.capitaldri...neron-75cl-p-137.html

and

Ceretto Moscato - http://www.capitaldri...-0708-750ml-p-73.html

If I try some more and like them will definetly update you here.