Sweet wines

Question 1

What wine regions make sweet wine from Botrytis?

Answer 1

Bordeaux - Sauternes
Alsace - Vendage Tardive (VT) and Selection de Grain Nobles (SGN)
Germany - Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese
Loire - Quarts de Chaume/Bonnezeaux/Bouvray Moelleux
Hungary - Tokaji Aszu

Question 2

Where is Sauternes and what grape is used?

Answer 2

Southern end of Graves
Mostly made from Semillon and some Sauv B

Question 3

Producer of Sauternes

Answer 3

Chateau d’Yquem

Question 4

What grapes are used in Vendange Tardive (VT) and Selection de Grain Nobles (SGN)?

Answer 4

Riesling
Gewurztraminer
Pinot Gris
Muscat

Question 5

What is the difference between VT and SGN?

Answer 5

VT wines are not exactly dessert wines but very concentrated dense wines. They grapes for these wines DO NOT have to be infected with Botrytis.

SGN are late harvested wines that ARE ALWAYS sweet. They are made from botrytised grapes that are hand picked berry by berry. These are very exclusive/rare wines.

Question 6

Producers of VT and SGN

Answer 6

Leon Beyer
Albert Boxler
Domaine Weinbach

Question 7

What type of grapes are primarily used in Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese wines?

Answer 7

Riesling

Question 8

Where in Germany are a lot of the sweet wines made?

Answer 8

Rheingau

Question 9

Producer of German botrytised wines

Answer 9

Schloss Johannisberg

Question 10

What grapes are used in Quarts de Chaume, Bonnezeaux, and Vouvray Moelleux (Loire)?

Answer 10

Chenin Blanc

Question 11

Where is Quarts de Chaume & Bonnezeaux?

Answer 11

Anjou-Saumur

Question 12

Producer of Quarts de Chaume

Answer 12

Domaine de Boaumard

Question 13

Producer of Bonnezeaux

Answer 13

Domaine de la Sansonniere

Question 14

Where is Vouvray?

Answer 14

Touraine

Question 15

What does Moelleux mean and how many grams of sugar per liter?

Answer 15

Moelleux means “mellow”
12-45 grams of sugar per liter of residual sugar

Question 16

Producer of Vouvray Moelleux

Answer 16

Champalou

Question 17

What grape is used in Tokaji Aszu?

Answer 17

Furmint

Question 18

Producer of Tokaji Aszu

Answer 18

Alana-Tokaj

Question 19

What wine regions make wine from drying grapes?

Answer 19

Italy -

Vin Santo DOC
Recioto di Soave DOC
Recioto della Valpolicella DOC

Question 20

What grape is used in Vin Santo?

Answer 20

Trebbiano Toscano

(white grape)

Question 21

How is Vin Santo made?

Answer 21

Using the appassimento process (grapes hung on rafters to dry/raisinate in an attic then crushed and combined with residue from former batch.

Question 22

What grape is used in Recioto di Soave?

Answer 22

Garganega

(white grape)

Question 23

Where is Recioto di Soave made?

Answer 23

Veneto

Question 24

What grape is used in Recioto della Valpolicella?

Answer 24

Corvina

(red grape)

Question 25

Where is Recioto della Valpolicella made?

Answer 25

Veneto

Question 26

Producer of Recioto della Valpolicella

Answer 26

Zenato

Question 27

Producer of Recioto di Soave

Answer 27

Bertani

Question 28

Which wine regions produce Eiswein/Icewine?

Answer 28

Germany Austria Canada (Ontario VQA)

Question 29

What must Eiswein/Icewine be free of?

Answer 29

Botrytis

Question 30

What grape is used for Eiswein made in Germany?

Answer 30

Riesling

Question 31

What grape is used for Icewine made in Canada?

Answer 31

Vidal Riesling Cab Franc

Question 32

Producer of Icewine

Answer 32

Domaine Pinnacle (Canada)

Question 33

How big is a typical pour of sweet wine?

Answer 33

2 oz

Question 34

How long can a bottle of sweet wine be left open?

Answer 34

Up to a week in the fridge

Question 35

What happens to sweet wines as they age?

Answer 35

They become drier

Question 36

What size bottle is Tokaji typically bottled in?

Answer 36

500ml bottles - keep in mind for pricing by the glass

Question 37

What kind of bottles are sweet wines typically bottled in?

Answer 37

Clear bottles Should be aged out of sunlight

Question 38

What is the #1 rule for pairing sweet wine?

Answer 38

The wine should always be sweeter than the dessert being paired (Exception for fatty foods like foie gras and blue cheese)