Sweet wine belongs to the type of dessert, plays the role of a drink for enjoyment and meditation, is often used as an independent dessert due to its exquisite aroma and unique rich taste. Ideal for a romantic dinner, a fun party with friends, a quiet lonely evening with a glass in front of the fireplace. In moderation, it does not cause headaches and severe hangover, it has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular and nervous systems of the body. Its popularity is due to the balance of sweetness and strength, which distinguishes it from other types. However, the consumption of not all sweet wines turns out to be useful and pleasant, let's consider the rating of high-quality drinks, according to buyers, which are better to buy in 2022.
Content
Natural sweet wine, according to the sommelier, has several important characteristics:
It depends on the grape variety, the characteristics of the collection and preparation of the material, and the production technology.
It is made in many countries not only of the Old, but also of the New World:
The list also includes the Czech Republic, Germany, Argentina, New Zealand.
Each manufacturer has its own proven production technology, aging and storage conditions to obtain the optimal ratio of alcohol and sugars. Therefore, to choose a quality drink, it is appropriate to take into account several features.
Consider what are the wines obtained by fermentation of special varieties of grapes. We note right away that this is an exclusively alcoholic product, since during the fermentation process, under the influence of yeast, grape juice is processed into alcohol with a high sugar content. There are non-alcoholic sweet wines, which is achieved by filtering and vacuum distilling the drink.
It is made only from grapes, which differs from liquor, which includes several components:
Distinguish between white, red and the rarest - pink sweet wine, based on whether white or red grapes were used as wine material. Pink is obtained from red grapes with a short contact of colorless juice with the pulp. The most famous of the pinks is Bandol.
Popular types of white wine:
Famous red wines:
According to the concentration of alcohol, low-alcohol ones are distinguished, with a strength of 6 to 12 degrees, strong, 13-16 degrees (Muscat, Cahors, Tokay). Fortified wine, over 17 degrees, is obtained by adding distillate alcohol to interrupt the fermentation process (port, Madeira, sherry).
By the presence of carbon dioxide, sparkling wines are obtained, in which carbon dioxide bubbles are preserved during bottling (Asti, Lambrusco) and quiet, without bubbles.
If one variety of grapes was used in the preparation, such wine is called single-varietal (sepage) - Solnechnaya Dolina, Black Doctor; from a mixture of varieties - blended (Port wine red South Coast).
According to the aging time, wines are young (up to one year), vintage (from one to three years), collection (from 3 years, followed by storage in special conditions in wine refrigerators or cellars).
Main selection criteria:
Label. Before buying, it is advisable to carefully read the label, which should not be too colorful or too bright and contain:
Cork. It should fit snugly against the inner walls of the neck, not be drawn in or protruding outward. Staining with the contents of the bottle indicates the correct lying position during storage, which prevents drying out and air ingress into the container. The unpleasant, musty smell of mold from the cork is unacceptable - this is a signal of a spoiled drink that poses a health hazard. You should not choose a bottle necessarily under a wooden cork - they have long been successfully replaced with screw caps, which somewhat reduces the final cost of the product.
Sediment. In good wine it is unacceptable, except in some cases with a slight content. To prevent the appearance of sediment in natural wine, bottles with a recess at the bottom are used: all the sediment then remains on the walls, providing transparency to the contents.
Price. Despite the natural desire of every buyer to find a cheaper product, this rule does not work for wine: a good drink cannot be cheap. Therefore, you should be prepared to shell out a rather large amount of money for a bottle of natural sweet wine.However, in specialized stores, expensive items often become promotional, and therefore more affordable. The minimum cost of a decent product fluctuates around 500 rubles, the main part of sweet wines has a price of 500 to 1000 rubles, elite drinks with a solid aging period cost from 1000 rubles.
In order to purchase a natural product and avoid mistakes when choosing, it is advisable to be able to distinguish it from a fake. Here are some tips on what to look for when buying:
The review of the best drinks that you can buy in 2022 is divided into groups by price category (budget, inexpensive, elite). Consider a description of the characteristics, average price, advantages and disadvantages of each included in the TOP.
Volume: 0.75 l
Average price: 490 rubles.
Non-alcoholic drink from Germany has a light straw color, delicate floral aroma, fresh taste with harmonious sweetness. Made from a blend of white grape varieties from the Rheinhessen region. The technological process begins with the preparation of classic alcoholic wine, followed by vacuum distillation, which allows the removal of alcohol while preserving the original aroma, taste and useful qualities of the product.
Volume: 0.75 l
Average price: 462 rubles.
Argentinean drink of pale yellow color with a greenish tint has a rich fruity-honey aroma and an enveloping taste. A real treat at an affordable price. Produced on high-tech equipment according to a traditional recipe from selected ripe Chardonnay berries. Pressing and fermentation take place at a temperature below +16 degrees to create a kind of mild taste.
Volume: 0.75 l
Average price: 330 rubles.
Russian-made Cahors with a fruity-creamy aroma and a velvety taste. Light flavored drink is designed for daily enjoyment, as it goes well with any dishes and desserts. It has no aftertaste of alcohol, in an intriguing aftertaste one can feel the pleasant sweetness of chocolate. The drink is made according to traditional technology from Cabernet Sauvignon and Saperavi grapes grown in the Kuban. Barrel aging does not pass, has a short shelf life.
Volume: 0.75 l
Average price: 487 rubles.
Light wine of pale pink color with a fruity-floral aroma and notes of spices that are felt in the aftertaste. A blend of four varieties - Grenache, Carignana, Tempranillo, Syrah - provides richness and complexity of taste. Exposure does not require, served with vegetable dishes and as an aperitif.
Volume: 0.75 l
Average price: 617 rubles.
White sweet wine of bright golden color with a fresh aroma and a light mild taste. The aftertaste reveals sourness. Monovarietal drink from Chile is made from Muscat of Alexandria, known for its taste. To preserve the aroma, the grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks after hand picking. They are kept for about 12 months for a rich wine composition.
Volume: 0.75 l
Average price: 986 rubles.
Vintage Crimean wine from the grape variety of the same name, grown on the plantations of the Massandra winery, is always popular with connoisseurs of sweet wines. A soft velvety drink with a honey aftertaste, an original aroma with notes of citrus attracts with a beautiful amber color. The production technology includes the stage of aging the product for two years in oak barrels. This gives the drink refinement and unique taste.
Volume: 0.75 l
Average price: 917 rubles.
One of the most popular Russian vintage wines with a dark ruby hue with a complex aroma and a rich fruity-herbal taste, it has a long aftertaste. The blend consists of several varieties of the best Crimean grapes. This provides twice the content of phenolic ingredients responsible for the organoleptic characteristics of the product. A rich taste with high, but optimal acidity and a pleasant aftertaste is obtained due to long-term aging in oak containers for up to three years.
Volume: 0.75 l
Average price: 580 rubles.
Produced from the Crimean grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Odessa Black, Bastardo Magarachsky. It has a dark burgundy color, pleasant berry aroma. An oily enveloping drink traditionally used for liturgical purposes in the Russian Orthodox Church, it can brighten up any holiday. During the manufacturing process, crushed berries are heated for a day, and then fermented and aged for up to a year.
Volume: 0.75 l
Average price: 729 rubles.
A soft, juicy drink of a sparkling pink-orange hue with a refreshing smell and bubbles is made from the Spanish Muscat grapes in the Valencia region. Optimal sweetness is due to the timing of harvest, when the berries are at the stage of full ripeness with a maximum concentration of the best taste. During fermentation, the wort is separated from the pulp in a strictly established time frame, which explains the achieved pale pink color.
Volume: 0.75 l
Average price: 2268 rubles.
Popular Spanish sherry amber color with a fruity, somewhat spicy smell, has a velvety balanced taste with a long aftertaste with notes of oak. For production, the grape variety of the same name is used, which is harvested by hand up to six times a year, leaving it in the sun to dry for two weeks. During this time, the berries gain a sufficient concentration of sugar, after which they are fermented in barrels. The peculiarity of aging is in the specifics of stacking oak barrels with wine in a pyramid: when the contents are poured from the lower ones, younger wine from the upper ones enters. Thus, the exposure period reaches 30 years.
Volume: 0.75 l
Average price: 2426 rubles.
An unforgettable bouquet of French drink gives a blend of grape varieties Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle.It gives the wine a great combination of acidity and sweetness and a long pleasant aftertaste. It has a dazzling golden hue and a seductive fruity scent. After fermentation at a temperature of +18 degrees, the stage of aging on fine lees takes place from 6 to 12 months. This is the secret of the taste characteristics of the resulting product.
Volume: 0.75 l
Average price: 3794 rubles.
A unique drink of deep ruby color with a rich smell has an optimal combination of sweetness and acidity and a long aftertaste. Berries are harvested by hand and dried for 120 days. Then crushed and left to ferment with daily manual pressing three times a day. The product is aged for 18 months in oak barrels and then bottled.
Volume: 0.75 l
Average price: 1375 rubles.
Sweet, with a rich taste of raisins, a pleasant aftertaste, the drink has a burgundy hue and a strong aroma. Suitable for connoisseurs of aged wines. The blend consists of three varieties of Portuguese grapes, which retain their natural smell and taste due to a certain temperature and aging time - at least three years. Port wine is not intended for long-term storage.
Volume: 0.75 l.
Average price: 3043 rubles.
A special pink strong, rich raspberry color with a pleasant juicy taste, tinted with spices and a bright fruity bouquet of aroma. A popular French aperitif is made from Merlot, Tannat grape juice and Armagnac spirit. The flavor combinations of the blend are carefully selected. The bottled product is kept in the cellars for about a year, experts say that the organoleptic qualities of wine are best manifested at the age of 2-3 years.
The list of popular ones includes sweet wines that meet the high requirements and standards that have developed over the centuries-old history of winemaking, provide a beneficial effect on human health, have a unique bouquet, exquisite aroma, color and the best customer reviews. The above rating will tell you which company's drink is better to buy in order to get real pleasure and avoid the negative consequences of consumption.