Here are five sensational sweet wines all with different characters and skills.
2010 Bonterra, Organic Muscat, Lake County, California (£7.25, half bottle, Waitrose). The super-cool-sounding Bob Blue is organic specialist Bonterra’s winemaker and he makes fabulous wines. There is real grapey sweetness in this delightful, light wine, but it is balanced perfectly with superb acidity. The result is a wine which is sweet, but which tastes refreshing and tangy, too!
Waitrose Solera Jerezana Rich Cream Sherry, Spain (£8.49, Waitrose). Made by the great Emilio Lustau, this sensational sherry is about eight years old and it is one of the wine world’s hidden gems. Drink a cool glass with any rich, fruit cake or the Gooey chocolate pudding and marvel at the combination. Forget the old image of cream sherry – it’s the new rock n roll.
2008 Hermit’s Hill, Botrytis Semillon, Riverina, New South Wales, Australia (£6.99, half bottle, Marks & Spencer). With a toffeed nose and a floral palate, this unctuous sweetie would be devastating with this week’s Caramelised pear tarte tatin recipe. Made by the De Bortoli team this is a heroic wine which is seriously good value indeed.
2010 Brown Brothers, Late Harvest Muscat, Victoria, Australia (£7.49 Wine Rack, £8.49 Majestic). Made by another legendary family company, this muscat is stunning value because it is a full (75cl) bottle! The lightest and most innocent wine this week, it is a crowd-pleaser which would go with a wide range of puds and it would also make a natty, ice cold aperitif, too!
Tesco Finest* Cream Sherry, Spain (£5.29, 50cl bottle, Tesco). Made by another serious sherry dynasty, Barbadillo, this wine is tangier and more figgy than the Waitrose wine and it has enough perky acidity under its flowing honey, date and caramel notes to slice rapier-like through a fine Sticky toffee pudding – arguably the King of all Puddings!
