Wood on Wine

How sweet it is!
© by Linwood Slayton
My journey into the world of wine is much like that of a person who has recently discovered the pleasures of food.

As a young boy and, later, a young man, I was pretty much a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy. I tolerated vegetables even though my early memories of them were associated with being "ordered" to eat them whether I liked them or not. I preferred my chicken fried, my beef smothered with gravy and my potatoes mashed or "french fried". Period!

As I discovered the joys associated with eating "gourmet" foods, and as my palate expanded and became more refined, my earlier preferences changed substantially. I discovered that steak did not automatically come with A-1 sauce or gravy and that when steak was eaten a little rare as opposed to well done, it tasted better. I discovered that salads were a lot more than just "rabbit food" and that vegetables that were steamed as opposed to cooked with "fatback" and bacon drippings represented a whole new vista for me.

So too, did my journey into and passion for wine evolve. I have written about "The Evolution of an Oenophile" in these pages and shared what I used to drink "back in the day". I have also shared how I began to cherish and savor the notion of good food, good wine and good company - all complementing one another.

Clearly, I am a neophyte when it comes to understanding wine. I know what I like and I like the fact that what I like continues to evolve and expand. In prior columns I have made it clear that I am not one that likes wines that are overly sweet. Change, I have discovered, is an essential ingredient for growth. I had an epiphany not too long ago: I do like sweet wines! In fact, I have developed a real yen for dessert wines.

As I reflect back to "the day", I can recall enjoying an occasional bottle of Harvey's Bristol Cream. I also remember drinking and enjoying a bit of some real sweet Auslese that was rather syrupy and came in a little bottle that cost more than a full bottle of Piesporter or Reisling ( back when I was experimenting with German wines). I have always liked a good Port wine and my definition of a good Port has also evolved over time.

Dessert wines or "fortified" wines represent a new frontier for me. Such wines are labeled fortified because brandy has been added to wine to raise the alcohol content in the wine. Port and Sherry are clearly the two most well known fortified wines. However, Madeira, Marsala ( from Italy) and Vermouth ( from Italy and France) are also considered fortified wines.

In addition to these fortified wines, dessert wines also include Beerenauslese (German) and Amarone (Italian). However, unless I am mistaken, they are not fortified dessert wines. These wines are made from grapes that have been allowed to "raisinate" or become oxidized such that the water in the grapes evaporates leaving a greater concentration of sugar.

Sherry is a Spanish wine. Typically, Sherry is made from either Palomino or Pedro Ximenez grapes. There are different types of Sherry: Manzanilla- dry; Fino-dry; Amontillado- dry to medium dry; Oloroso- dry to medium dry; and, Cream- sweet. Thus, not all Sherry is "dessert" wine. Yet, all Sherry is "fortified". The Pedro Ximenez Or "PX" grape is used to make Cream Sherry which is usually a blend of PX and Oloroso.

The distinguishing feature of Sherry is that it is made by allowing air to oxidize the wine. Most other wines are made with the goal of not allowing air into the wine as it is processed. Sherry is stored above ground in a "bodega" which is an above- ground structure that allows air to flow into loosely corked barrels. As the air permeates and oxidizes the Sherry, a portion of the Sherry in each barrel evaporates.

I recently purchased a bottle of Emilio Lustau Pedro Ximinez San Emilio Sherry. My first impression was that it was thick and too sweet for my taste. However, as I allowed it to settle in the glass and as I sipped it over the course of an evening, it seemed to improve and became a lot more mellow and pleasing. It is golden brown and smooth and at 17% alcohol content, it packs a modest punch.

I had the pleasure of tasting an excellent bottle of Madeira not too long ago as the dessert wine following a wonderful Spanish Wine Dinner at Agave Restaurant here in Atlanta. The dessert was a traditional Flan with berries and it was paired with Cossart Gordon Madeira Malmsey 5 year. I can tell you that this was a special treat. The wine was smooth, not overly sweet, golden brownish in color with great depth and balance. I was sold on it after my first taste.

Port wine is also a fortified dessert wine. Time and space limitations will not permit me to explore Porto in depth. Moreover, Porto is an entirely different subject that deserves a commentator much more knowledgeable than I am. Allow me one distinction however: Port differs from Sherry in that neutral grape brandy is added to Port during the fermentation stage and once this occurs, the fermentation stops leaving a residual sugary wine.

There are two basic types of Port: Wood Port ( Ruby and Tawny) and Vintage Port. Ruby Port is blended from young non- vintage wines and is typically dark and fruity. Tawny Port tends to be lighter and is blended from many vintages and is aged in casks. The longer the Tawny Port is aged ( sometimes up to 40 years and more), the more complex and expensive the wine. Vintage Port is wine that is aged two years in wood and matures in the bottle over time. All that one needs to remember is that Wood Ports ( Ruby and Twany) are ready to drink when bottled and they generally don't improve with age. Vintage Ports, on the other hand, get better in the bottle as time progresses.

As I continued to delve into the world of dessert wines, I discovered a few others that are worth mentioning and extolling their virtues. I thoroughly enjoyed a Morande Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2000 a month or so ago at a wine dinner. This wine is Chilean and was paired with a white chocolate creme brulee topped with marinated red currants and micro lemon mint.

A friend who knew of my love for Port generously gave me a bottle of Domaine Du Trapadis Rasteau Vintage 1999 for a Christmas present last year. The label states that it is an "Estate Bottled Red Dessert Wine" and is a Product of France. The bottle also carried a $29.99 price tag. 16.5% alcohol by volume, this wine is a wonderful alternative to Port for me. It is lighter in body and slightly sweeter than Port. I enjoyed it alone without food on cold nights before a fire with good friends. In fact, the friend who gave me the bottle of Rasteau made sure that he was with me when I opened it a month or so later. The ladies with whom I shared the wine also felt that they liked it as much or better than Port.

To be sure, my exploration into dessert and/or fortified wines is just beginning. Just as I transitioned from a "pop" wine drinker in the 60's and 70's (Boone's Farm and Ripple) to Blue Nun and Reisling to Chardonnay to White Zinfandel back to Chardonnay to Merlot and Cabernets, I am enjoying my journey into this new segment of the world of wine. Variety is indeed something that I am finding to be pleasurable and it does spice up my wine life. How sweet it is!

March 12, 2002