In other countries, this legal definition holds no water, or no wine; there are dessert wines in Germany, for instance, that contain less that eight percent alcohol. Made in countries all over the world, different regions offer different styles of dessert wine. Some of these wines include additional alcohol and some do not. Some are sparkling and some are not. Some are high in alcohol and some are not. It purely depends on the wine.
Whether sweet or dry, dessert wines are often produced through late harvesting or a process that stops fermentation before all sugar can be converted into alcohol. This leaves the end product like a bottle of wine mixed with a packet of Equal: it’s left tasting sweet. If additional alcohol is added before fermentation takes place (as occurs in fortified wine) yeast is killed and residual sugar remains; this also leaves the wine sweet.
Even with the dessert wine label, not all dessert wines live up to their assumed reputation. Some of them should accompany the side of a rich meal, rather than be consumed with something served afterwards.
White dessert wines, like regular white wines, are best served chilled. Similarly, red dessert wines also follow the crowd; they are served most often at room temperature. Both white and red dessert wines are reputed for being particularly good with fruit and freshed baked goods, such as sweet rolls and breads.
Overall, it is easy for people to be confused on what constitutes a dessert wine. As Uncle Sam points his finger at fortified wines, dessert wines in the U.S. meet a different explanation than they do elsewhere. The U.S. aside, these drinks are usually best thought of as wines that are sweet, not necessarily one you would want to take to dinner, but one you would stick around with once the dinner plates are cleared.
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