I love sweet wind but can only fine it in a white variety. Is there one in red or am I just going to have to stick to white? What is the best white that is a step before desert wine that I can purchase?
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
It is certainly much easier to find white wines with degrees of sweetness that it is to find equivalent reds. If you are willing to accept a bubbly, you could try a sweet Lambrusco from Italy, which should be relatively easy to find. You could also search for - or ask your local retailer to order - a rather obscure Italian red, Cagnina di Romagna. This may be exactly the type of sweet red wine you will enjoy. so it could be worth the effort. With respect to a sweet white wine of high quality which falls short of the very high sugar concentration of a so-called dessert wine, I would recommend a German Riesling Auslese from a leading producer. A fine Auslese, produced from selected, very ripe grapes, offers superb aromatic complexity combined with a magical balance of sweetness and acidity. You should also discover a Vendange Tardive or "late harvest" Riesling or Pinot Gris from Alsace, France, which offer varying degrees of sweetness. Neither a top Auslese nor a "VT" will be inexpensive, but they are among the world's great wines when they come from a talented maker.
