The sweet sensations of a dozen great dessert wines

Ihave always felt that dessert wines got a raw deal. If you stick to just dry wines you are missing out on some of the most delectable wines in the world. I have chosen 12 sweet wines, highlighting how they are made. They are all unfortified (no fortifying brandy added) with alcohol less than 15.5 per cent with varying sweetness levels.

Late harvest

Sweet wines made from grapes left on vines after normal harvest time – when berries accumulate high sugar levels as they over-ripen.

Nelson, New Zealand: Sweet Agnes Riesling 2018 Siefried

This trophy-winning riesling has a blossomy sherbet bouquet, luscious concentration with mandarin, apricot and marmalade notes and zesty juiciness.

£16.29 hf bt, Waitrose; £16.99 hf bt, Laithwaites

South West France: Magie D’or Pacherenc Du Vic Bihl 2013 Plaimont

Elegant sweetie with a tonguetwisting name and bargain price. The blend of late-picked gros manseng, petit manseng and arrufiac is refreshingly elegant.

£8.49 reduced from £9.99 for 50 cl bt, Rude Wines

Loire, France: Coteaux Du Layon Moulin Touchais 1997

Twenty-two years old and showing little sign of fading; pure citrus flavours, delicious freshness, light in sugar; only made in the best years.

£41 bt, The Wine Society

Alsace, France: Riesling De Rorschwihr Cuvée Yves Vendanges Tardive 2010 Rolly Gassmann

I had an epic tasting with Pierre Rolly Gassmann on my Alsace tour, tasting 50 wines in a morning. Our final wines were Pierre’s delectable sweet wines from his 40 hectare vineyard in Rorschwihr. £38.75, Berry Bros & Rudd, www.bbr.com

Noble rot

Late harvested grapes attacked by a fungus called botrytis cinerea – otherwise known as noble rot. This fungus only develops in specific microclimates (eg Bordeaux in France; Tokay in Hungary; Rheingau in Germany). It attacks the skins, dehydrating the grape, concentrating sugar and flavour.

Bordeaux, France: Comtesse de Balmont Sauternes 2017

Luscious, honeyed with orange marmalade notes and a hint of botrytis, this youthful wine is made – like all Sauternes – mainly from 85 per cent semillon with 10 per cent sauvignon blanc and 5 per cent muscadelle.

£7.49, hf bt Lidl

Orvieto, Italy: Orvieto Classico Superiore Muffa Nobile ‘Calcaia’ 2015 Barberani

Orvieto deserves to be better known for this fabulous sweet blend of trebbiano di toscana and grechetto.

£25 for 50 cl bt, The Wine Society

Tokay, Hungary: Tokaji ‘1413’ Aszu 2015 Disznoko

Amazing value for Tokay Aszu from my favourite producer, Disznoko. Rich, intense, marmalade notes, dried apricot, spicy, hints of cinnamon, long finish and a whiff of mushroomy botrytis. £15.50 hf litre, www. leaandsandeman.co.uk

Pfalz, Germany: Deideshemier Hohenmorgan Riesling Auslese 2015 Bassermanjordan

Beautifully intense rich example of botrytis-affected Auslese from incredibly low yielding vines; dried apricot, peach, toffee and hints of spice with a vibrant acid.

£31.29 hf bt, www. thewinebarn.co.uk

Dried grapes

Grapes picked at normal ripeness, then bunches are laid out on straw mats to dry for weeks or months outside in the vineyard, in lofts or humidity-controlled drying rooms – to dehydrate berries and concentrate sugars.

Veneto, Italy: Passito Bianco 2004 Marion

Caramel, toffee and liquorice aromas, deep intense rich with an elegant, dry finish.

£22.99 hf bt, Raeburn Wines, Edinburgh

Swartland, South Africa: Straw Wine 2017 Mullineux

Exquisite, intensely sweet chenin blanc with rich apricot and barley sugar flavours and vibrant acidity keeping it fresh. £27.50 hf bt, Berry Bros & Rudd

Veneto, Italy: Le Colombare Recioto Di Soave 2015 Pieropan

The Pieropan family make the best sweet Soave (using some botrytis affected grapes) which are dried on mats in their lots for five months.

£34 for 50 cl bt, Valvona & Crolla

Frozen grapes

Grapes, left on the vine until December or January, are picked in freezing temperatures. Ontario in Canada produces regular ‘Icewine’ (and Liaoning in northeast China), but ‘Eiswein’ is becoming scarce.

Mosel, Germany: Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Eiswein 2016 Selbachoster

Indulgently sweet, citrus fruit, ginger notes, succulent fleshy ripeness and sweetness with a tightrope balancing act between piercing natural acid and gorgeous sweet fruits. n £75 hf bt, Berry Bros & Rudd, www.bbr.com