Alcohol

Blackberry

Cherry

Chocolate

Dried plum, Oak Cedar, Spice, Vanilla

Sticky sweet dessert wines have been well known for many centuries as cellaring wines due to their high sugar content. They vary enormously in their levels of alcohol, acidity and sweetness.  As the name suggests, this wine performs best when matched with desserts. Amongst these wines is Botrytis Riesling. This wine wines can cope with richer dishes and more intense flavours as it is much richer and sweeter than regular wines. It is also worth considering the salty, sweet contrast when choosing a cheese or salted nuts to complement your wine.
The Botrytis Riesling grape can sometimes become infected with fungus called Botrytis Cinerea, which attacks the fruit and reduces its moisture content, thereby concentrating the sugar.
It is also important to remember that good dessert wines also need a balance in acidity to complement sweetness. The salt-sweet contrast is a powerful taste sensation, which is particularly successful with Roquefort and other hard cheeses.
It is also worth trying Botrytis Riesling from Tasmania, where the sugar is well complemented by the grape’s natural acidity due to the cold climate of the region.
The Yarra Valley and Hunter Valley are also well known for this wine.