Sweet wines and food

Dessert wines, as their name suggests, have been typecast - and consequently underestimated. Jean-Pierre Rossouw gives them their due.It is curious that there is a category of wines named after a food course. "Dessert wines" (aka "pudding" wines) suggests either that they are themselves desserts, or the natural companion to desserts. Most people take the view that these are wines to be enjoyed with dessert. But it's interesting that many winemakers prefer alternative food matches for their sweet creations.

One of the reasons lies in the diverse styles of wine that fall into this category: Natural Sweet, Noble Late Harvest, Straw Wine and Ice Wine, to name a few. What they all share is elevated sweetness, but their residual sugar level varies greatly. The official sugar levels of a Natural Sweet wine must exceed 20g/l; a Straw Wine 30g/l; and a Noble Late Harvest 50g/l. In practice, all these wines are usually much higher in sugar, some well over 200g/l.

This range of sweetness has major implications on food pairing, as does the variance in acidity and viscosity - when it comes to food matching, texture and palate weight are vital components.

But what these figures and analytical analyses don't reveal is the sheer complexity of these wines. For many winemakers, dessert wines are the ultimate expression of their art. They are famously difficult to make and it takes courage to leave grapes to ripen into risky, cooler seasons or to hope for botrytis infection. In the cellar, they are messy wines to vinify, and slow - some take years to ferment.

Jean-Vincent Ridon calls it "extreme winemaking" and Ken Forrester likens it to "tilting at windmills". What's more, dessert wines seem to be a little out of step with the times. Desserts - and their attendant wines - are perceived as overly-calorific and plain unsophisticated. Ridon quips that the French say trying to market them is "like selling coffins for three".

On the other hand, these wines have always been mavericks, never really in fashion but beyond fashion, always keeping their profile as a timeless part of wine culture. Many of the greatest historic wines of the world have been sweet wines (their longevity obviously helps), so making these wines is a way for winemakers to commune with the past and the future.

Taking dessert wines out of the sticky realm of the dessert is often a revelation. The following food pairing invitations may convert the sceptics and explain why Villiera's Jeff Grier says: "If you want to enjoy life and get more out of food and wine, you've got to drink more of this stuff."
Jean-Vincent Ridon
Signal Hill
A true believer, he makes dessert wine in a variety of different styles, to determine what the Cape best expresses and because "to prove oneself as a winemaker, you make Pinot Noir and dessert wines".

When it comes to food, he points out the key factors are the level of sweetness versus acidity and the wine's density. He purposefully strives to make his with a leaner structure and the length to accompany food. He stresses that you shouldn't over-cool the wines: no more than 14ºC, otherwise the coldness anaesthetises the palate.

Vin de l'Empereur 2003
100g/l res sugar; 6g/l acidity
The wine of the Emperor, his version of the historic Constantia wines, a Natural Sweet wine with no botrytis made from Muscat d'Alexandrie, which he calls "the mother grape" for its improbable depth of flavour, with "something to appeal to everyone".

Sure match: it's light enough to be enjoyed as an aperitif, feels Ridon; not big enough to take on rich desserts or fresh berry fruits (which are acidic)
Quirky match: it's recommended at a notable Cape Indian restaurant with North Indian curries - the sweetness cushions the fire and the spice lifts the fruit.

Crème de Tête
Noble Late Harvest 2003
200g/l res sugar; 7+g/l acidity
From the same block of grapes as l'Empereur, but botrytised. Bigger in structure and rich in flavour, but still not fresh enough for acidic fruits.

Sure match: ripe, fatty cheeses, like camembert, and even roquefort, and perfect with foie gras
Quirky match: grilled crayfish - draws out its subtle sweetness

Straw Wine 2001
240g/l res sugar; 6g/l acidity
A blend of Chenin Blanc, Palomino and Riesling from an old vineyard. Ridon believes that the blend enriches the palate, though you lose varietal nose. Three years barrel-aged to add a traditionally European, nutty, oxidised character. This wine has massive extract and an unctuous body.

Sure match: mature gruyère, mature cheddar, all nuts
Quirky match: double-baked cheese soufflé

David Trafford
De Trafford
According to David's retelling of Jura (a region east of Burgundy) tradition, a Vin de Paille, or Straw Wine, is the first thing a new mother should put between her lips, but his wife (who painted the colourful label on his straw wine) wanted nothing to do with that tradition when her time came. He acknowledges that most people, mothers notwithstanding, are out of the habit of drinking them, but recommends having a glass after a meal as a dessert replacement, "a treat after a meal", pointing out that the wine keeps in the fridge for a week.

His is made from Chenin Blanc and is bottled after 18 months in the barrel to be a lively, fruit-driven style. Trafford points out how important vintage is in this type of wine, for the natural acidities and natural yeasts play a vital and constantly changing role in sugar-acid balances.

Straw Wine 2002
290 g/l res sugar; 8,5 g/l acidity
This straw wine is likely to overpower most foods. He's paired it with foie gras, but this tended "to blow away the rest of the evening".

Sure match: in the Jura, it is traditionally paired with Comté cheese and nuts, a combination they enjoy anytime. Comté is a French national treasure, its flavour is diverse and complex, so pretty much any rich cheese will be interesting to try.
Quirky match: biscotti dunked into a glass after a meal

Ken Forrester
Ken Forrester Wines
Making T, his Noble Late Harvest, is not really a commercial enterprise. "This is the ultimate expression of the grape, the essence, a single snapshot of the vintage, the entire summer in a glass," enthuses Forrester. He describes how the complexity of slow ferments adds immense character to these wines. (Proof? It won a gold medal in this year's Fairbairn Capital Trophy Wine Show.)

Ken Forrester T Noble Late Harvest Chenin Blanc 2001
134g/l res sugar; 9g/l acidity
Forrester has been quoted in this magazine as recommending that you drink it out of your lover's navel (he was trying - successfully - to convince someone who believed that she didn't like dessert wines); more conventionally he believes that "strong flavours and sweet wines are a match made in heaven" in a dance of contrasts - the sweet wine binds salt, sharp and sweet flavours. He emphasises the importance of matching textures in wine and food.

Sure match: a vanilla-driven dessert like crème brûlée or a sabayon with pineapple
Quirky match: proving the point of strong flavours, it's delicious with yellowtail sashimi - wasabi, soy and all. Also good with tuna sashimi and sushi

Jeff Grier
Villiera Wines
Inspired by a visit to the Loire, Grier likes taking advantage of Chenin Blanc's versatility. "There's always a place for interesting wine," says Grier, who believes that the Inspiration drinker is looking for something different (hence its position in their "Cellar Door" range of limited release wines). He also points out its place in restaurants. "It gives a helluva lot of flavour for a reasonable price."

Inspiration 2002
120g/l res sugar; 8,5g/l acidity
For this self-avowed bubbly champion, Inspiration is supremely versatile as a last course drink. "Port is usually too heavy to go with dessert, and bubbly is limited, but this is great."

Sure match: creamy desserts like crème brûlée and crème caramel, but Grier likes it best with foie gras
Quirky match: blue vein cheeses, "a match made in heaven; the rich, sweet character combines with the complementary nature of the cheese". Also pâtés.