Sugar Content Of Wine
I Love German Wine and Food – A Trockenbeerenauslese Dessert Wine
You may know that the different classifications of German wine depend largely on the sugar content. German wine styles include Spaetlese which literally means a wine produced from late-harvest grapes but in fact means one made from ripe grapes, Auslese which are late-harvest wines, Beerenauslese sweet, botryised (attacked by a “good” fungus) wine made from individually selected grapes, Eiswein made from grapes that froze on the vine, and finally Trockenbeerenauslese, individually selected shriveled grapes that have a very high sugar content. I heard about such wines decades ago, but for one reason or another, only started tasting them recently.
I remember a Parisian friend who laughed and laughed at the idea that the Germans would make a wine out of rotted grapes picked individually off the vines, never knowing that the French also do so. I have never tasted a top of the line Sauternes but did taste a second quality one that was boring. As I am writing these lines I see for sale a 1935 Sauternes for well over $400. What luck that the closest bottle is a two-hour drive away.
Trockenbeerenauslese wine is produced in most German wine regions, but usually represents only about one percent of the total wine production. So these wines are not often available, especially in a fairly moderate price range. They are often sold in half-bottles. Given their sweetness and their thickness, they are wines for sipping. A bit of advice to the youth: If you are going to get drunk, stay away from machinery, cars, boats, and power tools. And don’t get drunk or even drink a lot of such sweet wines. You won’t enjoy them at the time, and you’ll feel really sick afterward.
Unlike the other articles in this series, we are not proposing any sample menu. And we didn’t have the heart to try this wine with cheese, whether high quality or not. Actually sweet wines are often paired with cheese – but not here.
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed Anselmann Ortega Trockenbeerenauslese 1999 11% alcohol about $28 (half-bottle)
Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. This multi-award winning wine is made from the seldom seen Ortega grape, a cross between Mueller-Thurgau and Siegerrebe. Ortega’s full-flavored nature and very bright fruitiness make it a natural for creating dessert wines. Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) is the German designation for totally botrytis-affected wines, similar in style to Bordeaux’s Sauternes. The sweet, ripe, soft and very approachable full-bodied wine is an excellent dessert onto itself or serve it with mature cheeses. And now for my review.
Alone the wine was very disappointing, perhaps because decades passed between my first hearing of this wine, and finally tasting it. The first pairing alongside an apple cake with mint chocolate was excellent.
I then tried it with thin biscuits containing sliced almonds and pistachios. The wine had a nice and thick texture. The TBA was quite long and very powerful. A tiny sip filled one’s mouth. It was pleasantly sour. This is the sort of wine that you don’t want to have every day. I didn’t rush the pairings; this wine won’t spoil, at least not for a long, long time.
The next pairing was with high-quality chocolate-covered orange peels. The wine had just the right acidity and sweetness, however not very complex flavors. It was not excellent but very pleasurable. Then I went to homemade biscotti with fine apricot preserves. This dessert intensified the TBA’s fruit. Another pairing was with a ripe honeydew. The wine was sweet and syrupy, the word luscious came to mind and there were lots and lots of flavors.
Then followed (perhaps weeks later) a homemade orange cake with chocolate and fresh strawberries. The combo intensified the wine’s orange flavors. Another time I went with a really fine chocolate covered vanilla ice cream bar. At first the wine seemed to disappear but it was fairly long. Sweet and sweet went together, and I felt decadent. When the ice cream was gone, the drop or two of wine that remained in the glass was mouth filling. We are almost at the end of the bottle.
With an Almond Raspberry Crostata pie the TBA remained strong and musky; the dominant taste was apricot. The last pairing was with a very lemony French pie whose crust was loaded with butter. Great combo. Citrus and more.
Final verdict. I like this wine, but there are plenty of dessert wines to try and to retry.
About the Author
Levi Reiss authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but really prefers drink fine German, Italian, or other wine. He teaches various computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. His global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com features a weekly review of $10 wines and new sections writing about and tasting organic and kosher wines. Visit his wine, nutrition, and health website www.wineinyourdiet.com .
Wine Making for Absolute Beginners Part 1
|
|
Sainstore Refractometer for Measuring Sugar Content for Beer or Wine $31.44 This refractometer from Learn To Brew is for measuring the sugar content of beer and includes an automatic temperature compensation of 10 – 30 degree Celsius. No tools are needed for calibration. This refractomerter can replace your homebrew hydrometer and is much more precise. It is ideal for brewing and is extremely easy to use. Just drop some wort or beer on the lense and gaze through the eye p… |
|
|
Hanna Instruments HI 96811 Digital Brix Refractometer for Professional Wine Analysis $151.00 The HI 96811 Digital Refractometer is a portable meter measuring the refractive index of samples in order to display sugar content, displaying results within seconds. To take a reading, the sample well must be calibrated with distilled or deionized water, followed by a few drops of the sample liquid. A dual-level LCD screen displays the measurement and temperature within several seconds. The H… |
|
|
Sugar/Brix Refractometer 0-32% by Sper Scientific $53.75 The most popular sugar refractometer range due to its usefulness in a wide variety of quality control applications for the sugar content of fruit, fruit juices, wine, milk, soft drinks and yeast cultures solutions. Also used for industrial cutting, lubricating, soluble tempering oils and emulsification solutions. Comes with a hard carrying case and calibration tool. Copy and paste the following… |
|
|
0-10% ATC BRIX REFRACTOMETER 4 Sap, CNC Coolant $32.99 This is a HIGH QUALITY unit made of Aluminum and not cheap plastic! *Top quality refractometer with 0-32% brix scale for measuring sugar related liquids- fruits and vegetables, fruit juices, wine, beer, soft drinks, jams, jellies, maple syrup One BRAND NEW RHB-10ATC (0-10% Brix scale) Hand Held Refractometer in a blue, foam-lined hardcase. This model is handy for the testing of low sugar fruits … |
|
|
Lewis Labs – Brewer’s Yeast $26.39 … |
|
|
Pureology Hydracure, 5.1 Ounce $32.80 Take hydration to the next level with Pureology’s HydraCure Intense Moisture Hair Masque. This one-of-a-kind intense moisture therapy masque delivers deep, long lasting, luxurious hydration, while exotic butters of shea, jojoba, mango and avocado penetrate quickly to provide deep moisturizing, lubricity, sheen, detangling and repair like never before possible…. |
|
|
Bonicca- Cocktail Party Organic Spa Sugar Scrub Trio A trio of cocktail-inspired organic spa sugar scrubs. Bonicca’s delicious sugar scrubs contain over 99% organic ingredients!Raw, organic sugar gently polishes skin while rich, organic oils deeply heal and moisturize. Organic rosemary, calendula, and chamomile extracts blend to give your new skin a warm welcome into the world.Contents: * Three 2 oz. jars of Bonicca’s delicious organic scrub F… |
|
|
The Primal Blueprint Cookbook: Primal, Low Carb, Paleo, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free (Primal Blueprint Series) $16.10 Offers over one hundred recipes to help support the Primal Blueprint model, which focuses on using the principles of the prehistoric hunter-gatherer society to achieve optimum health.Title: The Primal Blueprint CookbookAuthor: Sisson, Mark/ Meier, Jennifer (CON)Publisher: Midpoint Trade Books IncPublication Date: 2010/07/15Number of Pages: 279Binding Type: HARDCOVERLibrary of Congress: bl201003133… |
|
|
Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes $9.74 The best-selling author of Veganomicon and a top nutritionist team up to provide a vegan alternative to using weight, offering large-portion meals that are fewer than 400 calories per serving, low in fat and sugar and high in fiber, including SpinTitle: Appetite for ReductionAuthor: Moskowitz, Isa Chandra/ Ruscigno, Matthew (CON)Publisher: Perseus Books GroupPublication Date: 2010/12/07Number of P… |
|
|
Super Natural Cooking: Five Delicious Ways to Incorporate Whole and Natural Foods into Your Cooking $10.82 A stylish and creative introduction to cooking with nutritional superfoods features eighty healthful and delicious recipes that emphasize whole grains, natural sweeteners, healthy oils, and phytonutrient-packed ingredients, featuring such dishes as Sweet Title: Super Natural CookingAuthor: Swanson, HeidiPublisher: Random House IncPublication Date: 2007/03/01Number of Pages: 215Binding Type: PAPERB… |
Tagged with: food • google • reference • software • sugar content of wine • virtualization
Filed under: Wine Selection Tips
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Leave a Reply