Dessert wine is red and white, sweet, fortified, grape. Dessert wines: names

Dessert wine is a drink that has a strictly defined direction. Even his name says this.

Application rules

In life, there are often products with talking names. This is very convenient for two reasons. First, it is always clear what is at issue. And secondly, there is a guarantee against the possibility of making a mistake in the choice. In fact, dessert wine is not confirmed by any international classification. This concept exists only in Russia. Based on the name itself, it is customary to use it as a dessert or after any dish that is one. Some people mistakenly believe that the prefix "dessert" provides for the supply of this product along with some dessert (fruit, sweets and so on). It's quite the opposite. It should be clearly remembered that dessert wine should never be served with any other dish. This is absolutely unacceptable. It in itself is a separate dish that does not tolerate any additives. Before using it it is necessary:

1) First cool, preferably up to 10-15 degrees.

2) Then pour into a special decanter.

3) And only then submit to the table complete with a set of small ("Mader") wine glasses.

Drink this wine is taken in small amounts (not more than 150 milliliters), slowly, enjoying every sip.

Product Characteristics

In its composition, dessert wine is a product with certain characteristics. It can include any natural or fortified wine, which contains:

• Sugar - from 2 to 35 percent;
• Alcohol - from 12 to 17 percent.

In due time in the former USSR the following wines of this category were issued.

Conditional classification of dessert wines in the USSR:

For such wines, special varieties of grapes are usually used . And they collect it only when the berry reaches its maximum ripeness. At this time, the amount of sugar is extremely high, which is especially important for obtaining a really delicious drink. In addition, winemakers use various methods of preliminary processing of raw materials (pulp) to improve the flavor. It is usually warmed up, insisted or slightly podbrazhivayut. All this allows you to make a more harmonious combination of taste, color and aroma of good wine.

Red wine

Depending on the type of grapes used, dessert wines are divided into white and red. Each of them is unique in its own way. Red dessert wine, as a rule, is prepared from dark varieties of grapes. These include: Saperavi, Isabella, Cabernet and Black Muscat. The finished drink has a rich red color and a pleasant characteristic aroma. This wine is a bit thick and quite sweet in taste. Here the technology of its preparation plays an important role. Mature grapes (sometimes even slightly rotten) are harvested at the beginning of winter. After the first frost, the water inside the berry becomes ice and the juice remains as the only liquid fraction. Then the raw materials are ground. The obtained must (the extracted juice) is fermented and insists on the mash (peel of berries) for three or four days. Sometimes, in order to achieve the best taste and color, short-time heating of the pulp up to 75 degrees is used. Then it is cooled again and passed through a press, and the wort is left to ferment for 20-30 days. After that, it only remains to add alcohol and you can pour the product on barrels. In them, the wine stands for at least three years, after which it is packed into bottles and sent for storage, and then for sale. Among the most famous dessert red wines can be identified "Cahors." It is better known as a church drink and is produced in the best plants in Crimea, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Armenia.

White liquid dessert

By analogy, dessert white wine is produced from light grapes. Otherwise, the process technology remains the same. Passing through all the intermediate stages, the raw material gradually turns into a fragrant drink of amber-golden color. Specific taste and aroma of the drink are determined by certain grape varieties (Tokaj, Muscat). Many of these wines are produced by the pre-blending method. By mixing completely different wine materials, it becomes possible to obtain a unique taste, the desired tone and a unique bouquet. This distinguishes the wines of this category from ordinary canteens or dry ones. In the CIS, one of the largest enterprises for the production of such products is the association "Massandra". They produce white wine: "Kokur", "Pinot Gris", "Muscat", "Old Nectar", "Tokai" and others. They are distinguished by soft harmonious taste, characteristic aroma and gentle, pronounced aftertaste. Wines are aged in oak barrels for at least two years. This time is enough to achieve the desired characteristics.

Speaking titles

Recently, dessert wines have been very popular all over the world. The names, as a rule, indicate the type of raw materials or the locality where this or that product is produced. For example, Muscat says that a special grape variety called Muscat White was used to make the drink. The wines "Bastardo", "Kokur" and "Pedro" have the same story. But the wine "Golden Field" is called a sovkhoz, in whose territory vineyards are located, among which the famous Alicant grows. It is used as raw material for this wonderful drink with a pleasant velvety aroma and light note of chocolate in taste. In contrast, Tokaj is not only a grape variety, but also a city in Hungary, as well as a region where white wines are produced.

In addition, the name can be a kind of drink. For example, fortified dessert products of wine production include sherry, port, marsala and Madera. Hence the names of many wines: "Jerez Crimean", "White Port", "Madera Massandra". When you buy such a product in the store immediately it becomes clear what kind of product it is.

The golden mean

Among the rich choice a special place is occupied by sweet dessert wines. They are in the approved classification occupy an intermediate place between liqueur and semi-sweet wines of dessert quality. This is a fairly energy-intensive product, in 100 grams of which contains about 160.2 kilocalories. It practically lacks fats (0%), and proteins (0.2%) and vitamins in such a small amount that it can even be ignored. At the same time, it contains many macro- and microelements, as well as B vitamins. Together with the lack of cholesterol and low sodium content, all this can be attributed to the positive properties of the product. But there are also negative qualities, such as the presence of alcohol and increased sugar. All this indicates the restriction of the use of this product. Many categories of people (patients with diabetes mellitus and various gastric disorders) should use it with caution and rarely enter into their diet. Some scientists also believe that wine in general can promote the development of cancer in the human body.

Interesting details

Alcohol is a product with the help of which not only vodka, whiskey, cognac is produced, but also various tinctures and liqueurs. It is also one of the components used by winemakers around the world to produce fortified dessert wines. This is a fairly popular product. As you know, all fortified wines are divided into strong and dessert drinks. Therefore, any dessert (semisweet, sweet or liqueur) wine, in fact, is fortified. This is confirmed by the technology of production and the mandatory presence of alcohol in the composition. In Russia, such wines began to be made only by the end of the nineteenth century. Their appearance on the market has become a real revolution in the history of domestic winemaking. What gives the product alcohol? It turns out that its introduction at the fermentation stage of the wort can stop the process. As a result, some sugar remains unfermented. Experts have learned to control this phenomenon and to get wines with a predetermined content of sugar and alcohol in the finished product.

With your own hands

It turns out that you can make dessert grape wine yourself. This will require grapes, sugar, and also a little time and patience. The technology of the process is quite simple:

1. Bunches of grapes to sort and separate berries from branches.
2. Place the product in a wide bowl, knead it thoroughly and leave it at the usual room temperature for 4 days.
3. Reset the product.
4. To the resulting juice add the usual water (ratio 2: 1).
5. There you can also fill sugar (2.5 kilograms per 10 liters).
6. Liquid pour into bottles and put on each of them a rubber household glove. At first she will be very puffed up. The product is considered ready when the glove falls off. Now the wine can be filtered and tasted. If sugar is not enough, then it is necessary to do the following:

1) Pour a portion of the finished product into a separate bowl.

2) Lightly heat it and add sugar.

3) Stir until completely dissolved.

4) Add the resulting composition to the original mixture.

Now the prepared wine should only be poured on clean bottles, tightly closed and left for another month. The finished product will certainly pleasantly surprise the home winemaker.