Sweet Wines

A wine's sweetness is determined by the presence of residual sugars at bottling. The perception of sweetness in a wine corresponds roughly to a minimum sugar content of 35-40 g/l. From zero to this value, sugars contribute to creating a sensation of body and smoothness, which gradually, as the amount increases, becomes true sweetness. A sweet wine can be either still or passito, sparkling, or fortified.

Sweet wines are generally paired according to the rule of concordance, that is, with desserts. However, there are many distinctions and some exceptions, depending on the type of sweet wine in question. Non-sparkling sweet wines, which are almost always sparkling with a higher or lower carbon dioxide content, pair well with classic cakes and fruit tarts, especially red fruit tarts. Sweet sparkling wines are ideal with leavened pastries, such as pandoro and panettone, or desserts with cream or custard, thanks to the "degreasing" effect of the bubbles. Passito and botrytized wines, as well as late-harvest ones, pair well with dry pastries (e.g., cantuccini), but in many cases, they are a formidable pairing for blue cheeses, since their high sugar concentration effectively counteracts the cheese's spiciness and aroma. The same goes for sweet fortified wines, which should be paired with very intense and structured desserts and can also stand up to pairing with chocolate.

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