Shelf knowledge

By CHRIS SHERMAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 25, 2000

Late harvest wines can be found in most bay area wine shops and liquor stores but are rarely stocked in supermarkets. Prices start at around $10 for a 375-milliter bottle and rise to hundreds of dollars.

LABELS: Many late-harvest wines include figures for the amount of sugar in the grapes at harvest, and the residual sugar remaining in the wine. The alcohol content can be as low as 7 percent in some German wines or as high as 13 percent.

FOOD: Late-harvest wines are not just for dessert; they go well as aperitifs, or with cheeses and some main courses. Those with a modest amount of residual sugar, such as a German spatlese, have the sweetness and acidity to balance spicy Asian foods or offset fried foods. Sauternes are famously paired with foie gras. After dinner, they are best served with a dessert that is not too sweet.

GIFT: Dessert wines are attractive, long-lasting gifts and appeal to both wine novices and aficionados.

AUSTRALIA: Look for "botrytis" on the label. Most Australian dessert wines are ports and sherries, not late-harvest wines.

CANADA: "Ice wines" and late-harvest wines are among the best made in the far north. Canadian dessert wines are made from Ontario to British Columbia and are vinified from a wide variety of European and American grape varietals.

FRANCE: Sauternes, made from late-harvest sauvignon blanc and semillon, are France's most famous, expensive dessert wines. While Chateau d'Yquem costs $25 and up, Rieussec, Guiraud and Suduiruat produce fine wines for much less; others can be found from Barsac and neighboring regions. Dessert wines are also produced in the Loire and in Alsace. Look for the terms vendange tardive, grains noble or grain par grain on the label.

GERMANY: Wines are rated by a measurement of sugar at harvest. Spatlese means late-picked; auslese, berenauslese and trockenberenauslese refer to still riper wines. Eiswein is made from grapes that have been frozen in the field. German wines are among the lightest and lowest in alcohol.

UNITED STATES: Late-harvest wines are made throughout the West Coast, predominantly in cooler areas, usually from German and Bordeaux grapes. They are also among the best wines made in New York, Michigan, Missouri and other northern states and are made from a variety of European, U.S. and hybrid grapes.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright