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Sweet White Table Wines

Despite common misconception, sweet white wine is not a term reserved for dessert wines. Sweet white wines can come in a variety of styles at a variety of price and quality ranges, and raising the sugar levels in the wines can come from a variety of methods.

Cask wines

... are usually sweetened dry base wines. Sweetening is done by addition of juice of much sweeter grapes, such as Muscat Gordo.

Bottled sweet wines

... are made from grapes which have high natural sugar levels and are often late-picked to ensure these high levels.

Dessert wines

... are made from grapes infected with Botrytis cinerea - or "Noble Rot" as it's sometimes called.

These wines are fuller-bodied, and exhibit strong aromas and flavours of botrytis - ie apricots or orange peel - rather than the varietal characters of the grape, depending on the degree of infection by the rot.

Botrytis cinerea is actually a fungus or spoilage organism. It affects many fruits and vegetables - but not to the positive degree shown in wine. This fungus actually infects the grapes, causing them to shrivel with dehydration, therefore increase in sugar concentration, as well as metabolising tartaric acid in the grapes.

Botrytis also increases glycerol levels, resulting in silky, heavy and smooth mouthfeel of the wines.

Major Varietals

Major varietals used are Riesling, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Frontignac [or Frontignan], Muscat, Rulander and Pinot Gris.

Most people think of full-bodied dessert wines when they talk about sweet white wines, but in truth, the styles actually vary from cheap cask blends at one end, to bottled sweet whites, to delicate and intricate dessert wines [usually purchased as half-bottles due to their cost, and complexity].

Sweetened cask wines are generally dry base white wines to which grape juice is added to sweeten, eg Muscat Gordo.

Premium bottled sweet white wines are made mostly from Riesling, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Rulander and Pinot Gris.

Classic styles of dessert wines come from Germany [Trockenbeerenauslese - from the Riesling grape] and France [Sauternes - from Semillon or Sauvignon Blanc grapes].

A word on Chaptalisation

Chaptalisation refers to increasing the sugar levels in wines by addition of sugar to the must or even the wine itself. This practice usually happens in colder winemaking regions, where it is legal to do so.

The laws in relation to chaptalisation vary from country to country - particularly in Europe. In Australia it is not permitted except during secondary fermentation of sparkling wines, or to flavoured 'wine coolers' and brandy. It is legal in New Zealand.

However, there's more than one way to skin a cat, they say. It's no different when it comes to increasing sugar in wines.

Other than botrytis infection, fermentation may be stopped early to leave a higher level of residual sugar in the wine. This can be done by cooling to stop fermentation, followed by filtering to remove yeast. Addition of SO2 also stops or slows fermentation but isn't the method of choice when making sweet white wines.

Or perhaps sweeter, unfermented grape juice [ironically called 'sussreserve"] or concentrate can be added.