Dessert Wines – Part Two!

I had never tried a dessert wine till last year. I must admit they can be delicious and a great alternative to coffee.

Vignoles is a high acid and high sugar white grape. Because of its high sugar content, it can be made into a late-harvest style sweet white, but is also produced into a dry and off-dry white wine. It is moderate in winter hardiness.

Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. It is a sweet wine, and can be either a white or red wine. It can also be produced using two different processes. First is a “reductive” ageing process where the wine is aged in a sealed container and not exposed to air. Because of this, there is no exposure to oxygen and no evaporation. This produces a wine that is smoother on the palate and less tannic. The second style is matured in wooden barrels, and known as “oxidative” aging. Because is has some minimal exposure to oxygen and some evaporation, the wine that remains is slightly more viscous. Our second wine is not a true "Port" wine, but is made using the same grapes and process.

Tonight, we are comparing:

1. 2021 Stone Hill Winery Late Harvest Vignoles. I purchased this wine at the winery for $24. This is an estate-bottled wine from Hermann, Missouri. They report it had 29-degree Brix at harvest and the wine is bottled with 12.6% residual sugar. The wine has aromas of honey, peach, and floral, and has 9.7% alcohol. This wine was awarded 90 points in the 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards.
2. Our second wine is a non-vintage Nightjar from Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurants. The wine pairs perfectly with chocolate or rich cheese. It has the flavors of black cherry, blueberry, dried fig, toasted pecan, and cocoa bean. It has a long finish with hints of fruit preserves and has 18% alcohol. This is a port-style wine made with a blend of Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Cao, Bastardo, Alvarelhao, and Souzao. All are traditionally used in Port wines. Part way through the fermentation process, brandy is added to the wine, which kills the yeast and raises the alcohol content. It also leaves residual sugar in the wine. Port-style wines are sweet and fortified wines. Nightjar cannot be called a Port because it is not made in the Duoro Valley, a region in northern Portugal. The wine cost $24.99.

 Next week we will compare a Malbec wine from Argentina with a Washington State Syrah.