Ask your dinner partner to sample a sweet wine with dessert and, almost invariably, the response will be a period of hemming and hawing, followed by, “I really don’t care for sweet wines.”
Thus speaks another victim of wine snobbery. How sad. Sweet wines can be wonderful creations. They can provide a honeyed bouquet and taste–“ambrosia,” the ancients called it–to help end a meal with a smile. Serve them with dessert, or by themselves as dessert. You needn’t pour much; 2 to 3 ounces is sufficient. After the first sip the aroma and flavor will linger in your memory.
But a sweet wine need not wait for dessert. It can appear as an aperitif, or as a companion to rich pates or terrines. Sweet wines are appropriate, too, with soups and salads containing chicken, shellfish, pork and vegetables such as asparagus and tomatoes. Cheeses, notably blue and goats’ milk, are easily matched to sweet wines, as is fruit, fresh or cooked, and walnuts and almonds. Above all–there is chocolate.
If the preceding menu reads like one from the Sin City Diner, so be it. Sweet wines, sometimes called dessert wines or fortified wines, are on the cusp of a revival, and a Valentine’s Day dinner may be just the setting to explore their romantic aromas and flavors.
Noted chef and cookbook author James Peterson goes further. In his excellent new book, “Sweet Wines” (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, $35), he writes, “Because most people know so little about sweet wines and are so amazed when they taste a good one, I sometimes turn dinner into a wine tasting of sorts by serving more than one sweet wine at a time.”
As examples, he cites late-harvest semillon from Australia and Sauternes (with Cheddar or aged Gouda), port and late-harvest primitivo or zinfandel (with blue cheese).
The last time this country produced more sweet wine than dry was 1967. America had responded to the repeal of Prohibition by tossing back cocktails and guzzling beer. Wine consumption was concentrated in ethnic enclaves and skid rows across the country. Sweet, cheap domestic sherry and muscatel were best sellers on skid row, while the gentry opted for generic, California-made “chablis,” “burgundy” and “chianti.”
Through the 1950s and ’60s, upstart California vintners such as Robert Mondavi improved their dry wines and won new customers, in part by decrying sweet wines. In the ensuing decades the vintners were victims of their own anti-sweet campaign as the public ignored the excellent dessert wines that top wineries made from aristocratic grapes such as riesling and sauvignon blanc.
Recently, the long-delayed and still tentative effort to create a demand for high quality sweet wines has been aided considerably by ambitious restaurants that feature desserts. Customers have responded favorably when sweet wines are offered with these treats in half-bottles or by the glass.
Scott Tyree, sommelier at TRU, said the increase in sweet wine sales over the 3 1/2-year life of the restaurant has been “substantial.” He offers more than 25 sweet wines by the glass and has 50 selections available in half-bottles.
“I’d say Sauternes is the top choice, especially with foie gras,” he said. “Port is also very popular at this time of year, and slightly sweet German wines match well with the chef’s fish tartares and dishes with an Asian influence.” The popularity of Gale Gand’s dessert collections (multiple selections for a single table) “has helped create interest too,” he added.
Sales remain dependent on enthusiastic, informed servers, though. Even in this sophisticated environment, many customers are reluctant to consider a sweet wine, Tyree said.
Another barrier is cost. From harvest to aging, top quality sweet wines need more attention and care than their table wine kin, so prices from the mid-$20 to $100 or more are not uncommon. The price of a glass (a smaller portion than a dry wine) might range from $8 to $20 or more at the Italian Village, with a good vin santo at $8.
“Our sweet wine sales have tripled since we expanded our half-bottle and by-the-glass selection,” said Ron Balter, sommelier at the Loop restaurant. “We now deliver a spirits and sweet wine list to the table with the dessert menu, and even customers who don’t know a lot about the category are receptive. Port sales are great in cold weather.”
Variations on a theme
For our Valentine’s meal, let’s concentrate on three types of sweet wine that go well with desserts: late-harvest, fortified and sparkling.
Wine is created by yeasts that ferment the sugar in grape juice into carbon dioxide and alcohol. But if the juice, or must, has more sugar than the yeast can convert, fermentation stops and some “residual” sugar remains. Even “dry” table wines have residual sugar, but if it is only up to 1.2 percent, it is not noticeable. The more residual sugar, the sweeter the wine.
This excess sugar may be there naturally, courtesy of very ripe grapes. But the grapes’ natural sugar also may be concentrated by freezing in the vineyard (to produce the intriguing and very expensive “ice wines”), drying after harvest, or by the appearance of a mold that shrivels the berries (Sauternes is an example). Adding pure alcohol or brandy before, during or after fermentation artificially boosts the alcohol content, which stops fermentation and preserves the remaining sugar. If the wine was fully fermented (as port and sherry are), these creations are known as fortified wines.
Winemakers do not consider sweetness in isolation. Acid from the grapes can be a powerful counterpoint to sugar, providing tartness and complexity that helps keep the wine in balance and cause it to taste less sweet than it is.
Late-harvest wines: These are made most often from white grapes left on the vine a month or two beyond the norm until the sugar content has risen appreciably. It’s a risky business. The grapes are overripe. Weather and disease threaten. The quantity of wine obtained will be minute. But with luck, a mold called Botrytis cinerea (noble rot) will attack the grapes. It causes them to lose water and shrink, thus concentrating the sugar and making it possible to vinify exceptionally sweet, rich wines. (Germany’s super-sweet trockenbeerenauslese wines may have as much as 33 percent residual sugar.)
The most celebrated sources of late-harvest wines are Bordeaux (Sauternes and Barsac), Alsace and the Loire Valley in France; Germany and Austria (auslese classifications); Italy (various muscato, vin santo); Hungary (tokay); Australia (riesling, semillon, muscat) and various regions in the United States.
Fortified: This term describes what happens in producing luscious port (Portugal, Australia and the United States), cream sherries (Spain) and some muscat wines (Italy and France).
Fermentation is stopped before all the sugar is converted to alcohol. Brandy is added to bring the alcohol level up to about 20 percent. The wine is then aged and bottled. These wines keep for a long time, even after they have been opened.
Demi-sec sparklers:Well into the 20th Century, demi-sec (literally, “half dry,” but meaning “half sweet”) and other sweet bubblies were the sparkling wines of choice in Paris–no surprise, perhaps, in a society that drank sweet wines with fish such as sole. All Champagne is vinified dry, which means the fermentation uses up all the available sugar. The level of sweetness is determined just before bottling with the addition of the dosage, a mixture of sugar or brandy and still wine. Demi-sec, with a sugar level of 3.5 percent to 5 percent, tastes sweet but not cloying. Other demi-sec sparkling sources include the Loire Valley, Spain, Italy and the United States.
Many wine lovers prefer to drink these wines on their own. If food is to enter the equation, author Peterson makes the important point that the cook does not have to find exactly the right wine for a dish.
Traditional dessert food matches include cream sherry or port with nut-filled desserts; port with blue-veined cheeses as well as trifle; Sauternes and other late-harvest wines with custard, caramel and cooked fruit. Muscats do well with fruit desserts and dry cakes.
As for pairing wines with savory dishes, a broad rule of thumb is to think of dry wines in combination with dishes that feature herbs and sweet wines with dishes flavored with spices. Peterson points out that when serving wine with dessert, “the wine should always be sweeter than the dessert. If not,” he concludes, “the wine will taste harsh and overly acidic . . . “
Thus our Valentine’s meal could begin with chicken liver mousse paired with a light Sauternes as an appetizer, continue with a lively jasmine rice salad with grilled fresh pineapple accompanied by late-harvest gewurztraminer and conclude with gingerbread and malmsey Madeira or non-vintage port. All three dishes contain spice seasonings, and the wines are progressively sweet and authoritative.
The same holds true if you start with goat cheese souffles and a gentle demi-sec sparkler from the Loire, then serve French cream of mussel soup with a touch of curry and a spatlese riesling before concluding with the gingerbread.
Goat cheese souffles
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Lightly flavored with goat cheese, these souffles pair well with a demi-sec sparkling wine. Adapted from “Sweet Wines,” by James Peterson.
6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
12 ounces full-flavored goat cheese
6 egg yolks
10 egg whites
Pinch each: salt, cream of tartar
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Divide cheese among 8 small, buttered, 6-ounce souffle dishes or custard cups; shake to fully coat each dish; refrigerate. Whisk together the goat cheese and yolks until almost smooth; set aside.
2. Put the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar in bowl of electric mixer. Beat on low speed 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium high; beat to stiff peaks, about 31/2 more minutes. Whisk about 1/4 of the egg whites into the goat cheese mixture until blended; fold in remaining egg whites with a rubber spatula, sliding the spatula down the sides of the bowl to lift and fold the sauce into the whites. Continue until mixture is combined.
3. Place refrigerated souffle dishes on a baking pan; gently pour the mixture in each dish to 3/4 full. Make a small moat around the outer edge of the souffle mixture with your thumb to keep the mixture from sticking to the mold as it rises.
4. Bake until the souffles rise 2 inches and the tops are firm, 15-20 minutes. Serve hot.
Nutrition information per serving:
250 calories, 69% calories from fat, 19 g fat, 12 g saturated fat, 200 mg cholesterol, 395 mg sodium, 1.9 g carbohydrate, 17 g protein, 0 g fiber
Gingerbread cake
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
The recommended wine for this gingery cake, adapted from “Sweet Wines,” is a non-vintage port. Top the cake with whipped cream and berries if you like.
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
5 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
3 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter and sugar in a bowl of electric mixer; beat on medium speed until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add molasses, ginger, cinnamon and cloves, beating until well mixed. Stir in sour cream.
2. Sift flour with the baking soda; sift mixture a second time over the egg mixture. Fold ingredients together with a rubber spatula until no lumps remain. (Don’t overwork the mixture or the cake will be heavy.) Pour mixture into a greased and floured 8-by-4-inch loaf pan. Bake until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan.
3. To remove cake from pan, run a knife around the edge of the pan; place a plate over pan. Hold the loaf against the plate with a kitchen towel. Turn pan over; shake gently to dislodge the cake.
Nutrition information per serving:
290 calories, 50% calories from fat, 16 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 90 mg cholesterol, 185 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 4.1 g protein, 1 g fiber
Chicken liver mousse
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Chilling time: 3 hours
Yield: 10 first-course servings
This light mousse was adapted in the test kitchen from a recipe in “Sweet Wines,” by James Peterson. Serve it with Sauternes. Peterson writes that it’s important to fry the livers in a very hot pan. But do this carefully, and stand back because livers tend to spatter.
3/4 pound chicken livers, trimmed of blood vessels and fat
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or marjoram, or
1/4 teaspoon dried
1/4 cup port, Madeira or cream sherry
2 tablespoons Cognac, optional
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, cut into 6 chunks
1 cup whipping cream, chilled
1. Season the livers with salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil over high heat in a heavy skillet until it just begins to smoke. Lower the livers, one by one, into the hot skillet. Cook, turning once, until livers are brown and firm, about 6 minutes. Transfer livers with a slotted spoon to a bowl.
2. Discard fat; add shallots, garlic and herbs to the skillet; pour in port. Cook over high heat to reduce the port in half, about 1 minute. Add Cognac; boil 15 seconds. Pour mixture over livers; cool 10 minutes. Top livers with butter chunks; let stand until butter softens, about 15 minutes. (Do not let butter melt; this will make the mixture heavy.)
3. Puree the mixture in a food processor until smooth. Force through a drum sieve or strainer with the back of a large spoon. Beat the cream to medium peaks; whisk 1/4 cup of the whipped cream into the liver mixture. Fold the remaining cream into the liver mixture with a rubber spatula. Cover the mousse with plastic wrap pressed against the surface of the mousse; chill at least 3 hours. Serve in a large bowl or individual 2-ounce ramekins.
Nutrition information per serving:
325 calories, 87% calories from fat, 32 g fat, 18 g saturated fat, 295 mg cholesterol, 330 mg sodium, 1.8 g carbohydrate, 9 g protein, 0 g fiber
French mussel soup with curry
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
A German spatlese riesling would pair well with this shellfish soup, adapted from “Soup of the Day,” by Lydie Marshall.
3 pounds mussels
2 large shallots, quartered
1 1/2 cups dry white wine, such as chardonnay
Fish broth or water, as needed
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup whipping cream or half-and half
1 teaspoon mild curry
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Scrub the mussels clean with a stiff brush under cold running water. Place the mussels, shallots and wine in a heavy-bottomed pot. Heat mixture to a boil, shaking the pot; cover. Turn off heat when mussels open, 8-10 minutes. Discard unopened mussels. Strain the liquid through a fine-meshed sieve into a large bowl. Add broth or water, if needed, to make 3 cups of liquid. Remove shallots and mussels; reserve.
2. Melt butter in the same pot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour; pour in the mussel liquid, being careful not to add any sand that may be at the bottom. Whisk in the milk, cream and reserved shallots. Sprinkle mixture with curry. Cover; simmer 30 minutes, whisking occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, shell all but 4 of the mussels; add mussels to the soup. Adjust seasonings with curry and salt, if needed. Pour soup into bowls; garnish with whole mussels.
Nutrition information per serving:
260 calories, 52% calories from fat, 15 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 80 mg cholesterol, 335 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 20 g protein, 0.3 g fiber
