Sauternes

Sauternes - amazing sweet wines from French wine region. There are five villages in Graves that make this wine style - Sauternes, Barsac, Preignac, Fargues, and Bommes. Why are these sweet wines so special? Because this region is located near a river. These conditions help breed a "noble rot" also known as Botrytis cinerea, which is a kind of fungus that turned the flavor of the grapes into a rich, honey flavor, with a deep brown color. It's not easy to make a Sauternes wine - harvest workers hand-pick individual berries that have been properly infected with the fungus. This wine can age almost indefinitely. Sauternes are some of longest-lived wines, with premium examples from exceptional vintages properly kept having the potential to age well even beyond 100 years. Sauternes wines are expensive. For example a bottle of Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes (1787) was sold for $100 000.

There are three main grapes used for world-famous sweet Sauternes wines:

Semillon - This grape has undetermined origin but probably it's native to France. This grape has been used in for  quality wines in France (around Bordeaux) over the centuries. This gape gives elegant dry white wines, also used for blend with Sauvignon Blanc. On the other hand, it's important because its predisposition for Botrytis cinerea (which is a noble rot giving us the best sweet wines), multiplying sugars and aromas - also used for the best sweet wines in the world - Chateau d’Yquem of Sauternes.

Sauvignon Blanc - It is one of the most used variety of grapes over the world. We can find this grape mostly in the Loire Valley and Bordeaux in France. But also it is very popular in California (over 15,000 acres), Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Chile. In Sauvignon aroma we can find grass, grapefruit, lime, green melon, gooseberry, passion fruit or bell pepper. It is also used for Sauternes dessert wines.

Muscadelle -  We can find this grape in Bordeaux and southwestern France, Australia and particularly in Rutherglen and Glenrowan in the state of Victoria. It has typical floral and grapey aromas and is low in acidity.

Here is the list of the best Sauternes wineries:

Château d'Yquem - http://www.yquem.fr/
Winery is the only one listed in Premier Cru Supérieur class. It is an iconic winery famous all over the world. It's the best of the best in sweet wines. It's more than 400 years old with amazing history.

Château La Tour-Blanche (Bommes) - http://www.tour-blanche.com/
Founded in 18th Century, this winery is continually investing to maintain its reputation. It's fitted out with the most modern and efficient equipment. Recently renovated and air-conditioned, this winery stocks nearly 400 Bordeaux traditional barrels. They are made from French oak (stave-wood) and are renewed every vintage...

Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey (Bommes) - http://www.lafaurie-peyraguey.com/
Located in the heart of the Sauternes region on high ground near the village of Bommes. History of this winery begins in 1618 and thru the years it developed to the world-famous winery with the best sweet wines.

Château Suduiraut (Preignac) - http://www.suduiraut.com/
Their wines are elegant, sweet and full-bodied with a remarkable life-expectancy. Color of these wines are gold with amber tints when aged. Harmony wines with full power, complexity and finesse - it is often said that a great Suduiraut is the essence of Sauternes.

Château Coutet (Barsac) - http://www.chateaucoutet.com/
Estate founded in 13th Century pruducing wine since 1643. 95 acres of vineyards producing the best   Sauternes from Barsac. Château Coutet benefits from an exceptional terroir. The vines' deep roots extract elements from a limestone and clay-based soil, giving the grapes freshness, richness and strength.

Château Climens (Barsac) - http://www.chateau-climens.fr/
Climens is a wine with a strong and heady character. Every deed and every gesture involved in their complex trade as winemakers is aimed tirelessly at attaining this objective, finding that particular grace every year that is the signature of Climens, beyond the differences in vintages, and with which so many passionate wine lovers have fallen in love.

Château Guiraud (Sauternes) - http://chateauguiraud.fr/
Château Guiraud just  obtained organic farming certification. South from Bordeaux, Château Guiraud extends over 128 hectares on the left bank of the Garonne river. It is located in the village of Sauternes. Château procudes 100.000 bottles of amazing sweet wines every year.

Château Rieussec (Fargues) - http://www.lafite.com/eng/Bordeaux-Estates/Chateau-Rieussec
Château Rieussec is owned by Barons de Rothschild Lafite. For many generations, Château Rieussec has been a leading name in Sauternes wines. "Rieussec produces wines that are very similar to Yquem wines." -   Charles Cocks, 1868.  

Port wine

Port wine (Porto) is another world-famous sweet delicacy. There's an interesting story behind the birth of Port Wine.   Back in the 17th century when France was at war with Britain and Netherlands they started to import wine from Portugal's Douro River Valley. Problem was that the journey across the seas was too long and the wine would spoil throu the journey so to stabilize and preserve the wine for the journey the Portuguese began adding brandy to it.

Stopping the process of fermentation made the wine sweeter with nice residual sugars leaving in the wine. So port wine is a wine made in the Duoro region of Portugal that has brandy added to it, which stops the fermentation sooner so the wine is sweet. It is a sweet red wine that comes in a dry, semi-dry and white variety. Most Port is served after dinner as a dessert wine.

The city where Port Wine is put on ships calls Porto, it is situated at the head of the Duoro River. Thus the name Port Wine.

Port Wine styles:

Ruby Port Wines - The youngest of the port wines. Usually spends a minimum of two years in a large vat which minimizes the oxidation before bottled. Ready to drink immediately.

Tawny Porto - Less sweet and lighter than ruby or vintage ports. This wine is blended from wines of different years, usually no more than three years old. The lighter tawnies have been blended with white port.

Tawny with Indication of Age - Wine of amber color. Its aroma and flavors are the craft of a master blender, the person who creates the uniqueness of each of these wines. Aged Tawny may be labeled as 10, 20, or 30 years old, referring to the average age of its blend of old and young wines.

Port Wine Vintage - This kind of Port is characterized by intense red color, full body, and intense and complex flavor. In years of outstanding harvest quality, the producer must declare their best wine as "vintage", and submit a sample bottle to be approved by the Porto Wine Institute. The rule is to leave the wine in the cask for 2 to 3 years, and then age it in bottles for very long time, where the best years continue to improve indefinitely.

Late Bottled Vintage - This is less rich and concentrated than Vintage Porto with a little sediment in the bottle. Its quality must be approved by the institute too. Then it is left in the cask for 5 - 6 years, filtered, and bottled as a ready to drink wine.

White Port Wine -  these wines are lighter tasting than the other ports. They are made from a blend of white grapes and have a small amount of juice from the red grapes added to them. The wine spends 2 - 3 years in casks and then it's ready to drink when it is bottled. Two varietes of White Port Wine exist - sweet and dry.


There are five main grapes used for port wine: Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cao, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesa and Touriga Nacional.

Here are some of the best Port Wine producers:

Fonseca - http://www.fonseca.pt/
Found at 1822. Strong tradition of winemaking skill and knowledge. Fonseca is one of the leading Port winehouses and one of the leading wine producers in the world.

Churchill - http://www.churchills-port.com/
Churchill's is an independent, family owned Company specializing in premium Port Wines and premium New Douro Table Wines.

Dow - http://www.dows-port.com/
Family Owned Producer Of The Finest Quality Port For Over Two Centuries.

Croft - http://www.croftport.com/
The earliest evidence of the firm’s activity as a Port shipper dates from 1588. John Croft was one of the leading figures of the Port business in the eighteenth century.

Cockburns - http://www.cockburns.com/
In 1815, the year that Wellington defeated Bonaparte at Waterloo, the business was established by Robert Cockburn, who had visited Portugal when serving in Wellington's army.

Quinta do Noval - http://www.quintadonoval.com/

Quinta do Noval is widely regarded as one of the greatest names in the Port Wine business. It is our aim to continue to produce outstanding Port wine and to maintain and enhance the quality of Port bottled under the Noval name. Hand crafted wines of the very best quality. 
 

Sandeman - http://www.sandeman.eu/
For more than 200 years Sandeman has handed down expertise from generation to generation to maintain the excellence of their wines, appreciated around the world for their quality and taste, mystery and seduction.