GRAPEVINE- One Sticky Night

An informal tasting of dessert wines from Nelson and Marlborough. By Kirsten Rødsgaard-Mathiesen

Sweet, sticky, vinous sensations and creamy wonders from the land of formidable cheese producers attacked our taste buds vigorously one cold winter evening. We – seven food and wine lovers – were enjoying the pleasures of a simple food and wine matching rule: contrast! Something salty paired with something sweet is a formidable match and on the table were nine very different (randomly chosen) sweet wines and several delightful cheeses.

We agreed to follow the golden wine-tasting rule of Master of Wine, Bob Campbell: “Most people typically determine whether they like the wine or not and forget about the characteristics of it. I encourage people to shut the world out for 30 seconds and analyse the wine and come up with a description.”

And so we did as we worked our way through:

Villa Maria Late Harvest Riesling, Cellar Selection 2009
Anchorage Noble Chardonnay 2009
Seifried Sweet Agnes Riesling, Winemakers Collection 2009
Kahurangi Mt Arthur Noble Chardonnay 2008
Gibson Bridge Sweet 16 Late Harvest Pinot Gris 2009
Isabel Noble Sauvage Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Te Whare Ra Noble Riesling 2007
Spy Valley Noble Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Hunter’s 2009 Hukapapa Late Harvest Riesling

Although they are all sweet, these selections represent three different ways of producing so-called dessert wines. The sugar content in grapes is measured in ‘brix’, and the higher the brix, the sweeter the end product will be. After the main harvest some white grapes are left on the vines and become almost like raisins. Their brix can be as high as 40%. From these grapes you make the ‘Late Harvest’ wines.

Sometimes the grapes will start to rot and develop a fungus called botrytis cinerea, known as ‘noble rot’. It’s a big risk for a winemaker to allow this to happen, but if dealt with correctly, the use of these intensely sweet, rotting grapes results in amazing dessert wines. They’ll have ‘Noble’ in front of the grape variety on the label.

Lastly, there is ‘Ice’ wine – another unique style, where the grapes have been left to freeze on the vines, resulting in a sweet wine with a high acidity. Some producers make this style by artificial means so instead of letting the grapes freeze naturally on the vine, they are picked and then artificially frozen.

Back to our sweet tasting with both serious discussions and lots of laughs, as our comments testify: “Apricot, sweet peaches, and lime on the nose.” “This one is very different...it’s figs!” “Passionfruit, velvety, and round.” “Like pineapple lumps without the chocolate.” “Amazing colour – like a setting sun!” “Absolutely lipsmacking gorgeous.” “Caramelised pink grapefruit.” “A kind of ‘new plastic’ smell.” “A classic sticky.” “Almost chemical with weird fizzyness.” “Experimental.” “Very elegant and balanced.” “Syrupy and honeylike.” “Strong elderflower.” “Lollypop flavour and nose, doesn’t linger at all.”

We rated the wines on a scale from one to ten, and concensus was that three of them could be labelled “a memorable experience” – Isabel, Kahurangi, and Anchorage, in that order, with Seifried’s Sweet Agnes close behind. The remaining five wines lacked complexity, in our opinion, and all scored below five. The Gibson Bridge rated the lowest with accompanying comments like “Alice in Wonderland” and “too sharp and spritzig”. We even wondered if it was faulty.

I can only encourage you to indulge in wine tastings (private, public, or otherwise) as not only is it a great way to catch up with friends, it is also a fun way to learn about wines you may not normally drink. Cheers and happy tastings.

IN THE CELLAR
Isabel Noble Sauvage Sauvignon Blanc 2006
Needless to say this month’s tasting panel adored this wine which is simply stunning – either on its own or with cheese. It’s beautifully balanced and a great example of what a classic botrytised Sauvignon Blanc should be like. RRP $39

Kahurangi Mt Arthur Noble Chardonnay 2008
Intense, dark colour; rich and gentlemen’s club-like! A classic sticky, very elegant. Intense and balanced fruit flavours. A well-crafted wine. RRP $25

Anchorage Noble Chardonnay 2009
Figs on the nose makes this velvety and syrupy wine stand out. It’s a dessert in its own right, but is also great with strong cheese. RRP $25

Seifried Sweet Agnes Riesling 2009
Open this a while before drinking and it will open up beautifully. Quite acidic, yet well-balanced, with lots of classic citrus fruit characters. RRP $25
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