Sweet Wines

[Winot]

Gavin - Living in the UK, have you tried the Wine Society?

John,

I am indeed a member of the wine society, although don't use them that much - but I will take your advice and contact them...

I've just bought a 1990 Ch. la Tour Blanche (Sauternes) from the Wine Society for £35. I think I may have got the last bottle, cos I can't see it on the web site now, but they are still showing 1989 Château Guiraud for £35 and Château Doisy-Daëne, 1996 (Barsac) for £21.50. And a Château d’Yquem, 1990 for £175 come to that...

[Niall]

Niall since you are in OZ, try to get your hands on some "Hardy's Liquor Sav. Blanc", amazing stuff. Base material around 50 years old.

That sounds very interesting.... Now I'll have to try to find it...

There are some good botrytis Sav Blancs coming out of the woodwork aswell; Broke Estate from the hunter have a fantastic one; but I haven't been that impressed with the versions from Orange I've seen.

DeBortoli released an experimental 86 Botrytis traminer a couple of years ago.. that was pretty good.

[Adam Balic]

Niall since you are in OZ, try to get your hands on some "Hardy's Liquor Sav. Blanc", amazing stuff. Base material around 50 years old.

That sounds very interesting.... Now I'll have to try to find it...

It doesn't really taste of Sav. Blanc any more. Think of the most complex Morris's Liquor Tokay and then double it, then that about describes it.

[nightscotsman]

Last night I opened a bottle of italian dessert wine called "Malvira" from Birbét. Has anyone heard of this before or tried it? It was deep red and lightly sparkling with a bright flavor similar to a moscato, but with subtle cherry notes. Delicious! I got it at Central Market here in Seattle - must go get some more.

[ctgm]

Some of my favourite sweet wines are the Vendange Tardives from Alsace along with their Selection de Grains Noble.

I used to sell a fantastic sweet wine from Ch. de la Colline (Bergerac). It came in halp bottles and was similar to a Barsac but to me was more interesting.

[Ye-Ye Girl]

I've always been partial to a very good (read: old) Madeira. The smooth, long, nutty finish of a Malvasia is bewitching, and a Bual is perfect for those who like sweet wines that aren't too sweet. Unfortunately, anything older than 15 years is hard to come by in the States, in retail shops anyway. Perhaps it's easier to find in Europe. I probably haven't looked hard enough, but I always end up ordering it directly from a dealer on Madeira via the Internet. Of course the biggest drawback is that nothing older than 50 years is inexpensive.

[guajolote]

Last night I opened a bottle of italian dessert wine called "Malvira" from Birbét. Has anyone heard of this before or tried it? It was deep red and lightly sparkling with a bright flavor similar to a moscato, but with subtle cherry notes. Delicious! I got it at Central Market here in Seattle - must go get some more.

I love this too. It was pretty inexpensive too, right? Around $12 for a half bottle?

[jackal10]

A very rare offer, and a very delicious wine. We had it with the Xmas pud, and it was all there, They may have some left if you are quick!

1943. Ch. Le Caillou Monbazillac, 75 cl. £60 per bottle inc VAT This is a story of tradition and peasant survival in time of war, long before the advent of oenologues and the fashion for early drinking. Our protagonists are M. et Mme. Pierre Eymery, then in their early to mid twenties; the vintage 1943. The Germans are occupying France and requisitioning wine for their own drinking. Chaptalisation is not officially authorised, and even if it were to be practised illegally, there is no sugar to be had. The harvest is dried by fierce wind, and there is little juice in the grapes. The wine is remarkable, reminiscent of the great 1929, but even more concentrated. It must not fall into the hands of the Germans. Pierre’s parents still have that famous ’29 in barrel, ageing gently, and secreted in an underground cellar. They decide to do the same with the ’43 and lodge it in old demi-muids, topping it up from time to time. In 1988, for the marriage of a cherished grandchild, they decide to bottle the wine without fining or filtering, in clear bottles sealed with wax. Shortly after this, I am given a bottle by friends in the area, and finding it extraordinary, persuade them, for cash, to part with a case. In 2002, they contact me again wondering, as M. Pierre is now 85, whether I would like to buy the remaining stocks. I retaste, and find it still quite remarkable, a combination of rich, burnt flavours and incredible freshness; it’s so stable it does not move after being open for three days.

Cambridge Wine Merchants Ltd

Bridge Street Office

32 Bridge Street

Cambridge CB2 1UJ England

Tel +44 (0)1223 568989 / 329039

www.cambridgewine.com

[nightscotsman]

Last night I opened a bottle of italian dessert wine called "Malvira" from Birbét. Has anyone heard of this before or tried it? It was deep red and lightly sparkling with a bright flavor similar to a moscato, but with subtle cherry notes. Delicious! I got it at Central Market here in Seattle - must go get some more.

I love this too. It was pretty inexpensive too, right? Around $12 for a half bottle?

Yep, very reasonable. I think I may have paid closer to $10 for the half bottle - maybe on sale? A pretty generic, cheap-looking label, so it's easy to miss on the shelf.

[Explorer]

There's another one that hasn't been mentioned; It's another great substitution to Riesling/Gewurtz for Asian or spicy food, Cajun or Indian: Ironstone Obession Symphony, 2001. It's based on a grape developed by UC Davis called Symphony, an aromatic grape that's a cross between Grenache Gris and Muscat of Alexandria. One could think of it as a lower end Caymus Conundrum, but at $10 Cdn, it beats any Gewurtz under $25.

[jeniac42]

Wow. I thought I was finally starting to get the hang of wine and then I read a thread in this forum and it really hits me how much I've got left to learn! (Not a bad thing, mind you.)

Just out of curiosity, is the Brachetto mentioned (and sorry if this was stated explicitly; I've had a little Moulin-A-Vent this evening and am rather sleepy) by any chance the Banfi Brachetto d'Acqui, Rosa Regale (or something like)? I tasted that last week and liked it.

I'm definitely going to use some of the recommendations from this thread. The main thing that's stopped me from trying more sweet wines is the fact that they are a) hard to find around here and b) kind of expensive. But with recommendations I'm sure I can order some through our wine reps.

[Charles Smith]

Two other candidates worth mentioning are Banyuls- Look for Domaine du Mas Blanc (especially the Dr. Parce bottling) and Maury- Domaine du mas Amiel-

both are terrific with chocolate- usually a tough match. both are good QPR as well.

Edited March 5, 2003 by Charles Smith (log)

[malarkey]

Beaume de Venise is a fabulous Southern Rhone sweet wine.  Domaine Durbin is my favorite (it may be spelled Durban).

YES YES yes! I have some of the 2000 and 2001 Domaine de Durban Muscat Beaumes de Venise and I think this is a marvelous sweet wine. Affordable too!! I think this is a wine to drink now because I would think that subtle lavender flavor would fade with age. A tasty, tasty wine.

In fact, I'm making a cake today that uses this same wine instead of milk or water as its liquid.

[Bobaloo]

I must echo the recs on the de Bortoli Noble One. Had it this past Thanksgiving, the other winos and I could hardly believe it could have grapes as its source., Also, the next day in Napa, we went nuts for the Merryvale Antigua, a Muscat de Frontignan fortified with brandy.

A meal in itself.