The history of sweet wine production in Italy could trace back to thousands of years ago, and it has been passed down through the generations. Today, almost every Italian region has a sweet or semi-sweet wine product in its wine roster that can make traditional consumers swoon and even those who resist sweet wines fall in love with it.
The sweet flavor is common to all these products, but the sugar content varies considerably depending on the type of wine, and naturally can satisfy all tastes. Let’s begin our journey into the world of sweet wines and explore the various flavors of still and sparkling wines.
How is sweet wine made?
During the fermentation process, the yeast comes into contact with the grape pulp and the yeast uses the sugar as a nutritional supplement, converting it into alcohol and other elements. If this process is complete, we will have a wine with no residual sugar, also known as a dry wine; on the other hand, if the process is terminated under certain conditions, we will have a wine with a little residual sugar, so the wine will be semi-sweet or sweet.
Although many wine connoisseur likes the taste of ‘sweetness’, however it can sometimes go beyond the limits of balance and tend to be too much sweet, so a good producer must ensure that there is enough acidity in the wine to balance it.
The production of sweet wines can be made through different processes:
Over-ripening or late harvesting is based on the principle of the liquid in the berries evaporating when they are left to dry in the sun. If the harvest is early, the grapes are likely to be under-ripe and therefore have a higher acidic content; on the other hand, if the harvest is delayed, the grapes are likely to be over-ripe and, of course, have a higher sugar content. Therefore, in order to obtain grapes capable of producing must, the harvest timing is delayed until the fruit has ripened to the right degree and has a high sugar content. Fermentation is interrupted when the desired sugar content is reached, in order to leave a high level of residual sugar in the resulting wine.
Sweet wines made by the “appassimento” method are another winemaking technique that aims to completely dehydrate the grapes, hanging them to dry directly in the vineyard or on special racks, to enrich them with aromas, acidity and polyphenols.
The pulp obtained from these grapes has the potential to produce great and quality wines such as the following: Pantelleria, Sagrantino, Vin Santo or Recioto della Valpolicella or di Soave.
Noble mould is one of the most complex types of winemaking and requires the help of a special mould, the grey mould, which, when multiplied in small numbers, causes only partial decay of the berries, also known as “noble rot”. It dries out the bunches of berries, whose juice is very concentrated, rich and sugary, which facilitates the subsequent vinification. This process is also interrupted through halfway, in order to retain an amount of residual sugar, essential for this wine, known as “muffati”, which has a magnificent bouquet and a rare elegance, rich and complex. In terms of aromas, we are sure to associate it with wines such as Sauternes, Barsac and Montbazillac from France, Trockenbeerenauslese from Austria and Germany, Tokaij Aszù from Hungary and Muffati from Orvieto in Italy.
Aromatic grapes, such as Moscato, Malvasi, Brachetti and Gewürztraminer, by their own nature, already have specific aromatic qualities, for which it is possible to obtain wines with a high sugar residue simply by interrupting fermentation.
Sweet sparkling wines are made from a sweet base wine, usually in temperature-controlled steel tanks using the Martinotti-Charmat method, or by the traditional method of adding a syrup solution to the base wine in the final stage before bottling.
Fortified wine is a winemaking process in which the alcohol content is increased by the addition of concentrated grape must. If we start with a sweet base wine, we will get a sweet fortified wine, which when over 16 degrees of alcohol content, will naturally terminate the process of converting sugar to alcohol by the yeast, leaving a natural residual sugar content in the wine. The incredible Porto, Madeira, Jerez and Marsala are wines of this type.
Ice wines, derived from over-riped grapes, are usually harvested quickly and later than most, then naturally frozen at very low temperatures (-10°C), and then quickly pressed while they are still frozen, to obtain a wine with high sugar concentration and significant acidity.
The ideal temperature for serving these wines varies on the producer’s recommendations or personal preference, but keep in mind that low temperatures enhance the perception of hardness, inclu
