Definition: Pairings with sweet wines

Pairings with sweet wines

Sauternes wines are surrounded by a certain paradox, as many wine lovers readily admit to enjoying Sauternes, while the region's châteaux often struggle to sell their production. The problem may stem from a lack of awareness of the wide range of food and wine pairings they offer. And yet, Sauternes wines have a life beyond foie gras!

It is sometimes said that sweet wines are very difficult to pair with suitable dishes, or even that they are not at all suited to food and wine pairings, or that they are only good for tasting once a year, either with the traditional foie gras served during the festive season or with dessert.
Not at all! Sauternes wines also offer many successful and sometimes surprising food and wine pairings.

It should not be forgotten that a Sauternes can first and foremost be enjoyed on its own – and it is well worth it – very simply, as an aperitif or at the end of a meal, especially if it is a fine wine. Indeed, the complexity of this sweet wine is sufficient in itself. It can even be enjoyed in cocktails (*So Sauternes), for novices.

To successfully pair food and Sauternes wine, the idea is to respect the balance of flavours and, above all, to counterbalance the sweetness of the wine, or at least not to weigh it down with a dish dominated by sweetness. There are two possibilities: play on harmony, with dishes that have flavours similar to those of the wine (dried fruit, honey, exotic fruit, etc.), but the flavours must remain subtle and light so as not to be cloying, or, on the contrary, play on contrasts with strong flavours (acidic or spicy, for example).

Harmonious pairings:

Harmony pairings are probably the most intuitive, the first that come to mind. However, they are also the most difficult to achieve and the easiest to get wrong. Sauternes wines are characterised by their opulence (which varies depending on the estate and is less pronounced in Barsac than in Sauternes) and their sweetness. An excess of sugar can therefore quickly become cloying and the food and wine pairing a disaster. This type of pairing must therefore be extremely well balanced and thought out, with great subtlety.
The idea behind this type of pairing is to incorporate one of the dominant flavours of the wine (candied fruit, honey, exotic fruit, yellow fruit, citrus fruit, etc.) into the dish. However, this "echo" of Sauternes must be relatively discreet and not constitute the central element of the dish. If this is the case (in a fruit dessert, for example), the flavours must remain light and, if possible, counterbalanced by a good acidity. For example, dried fruit or a touch of honey can be a secondary element of the dish, a subtle nod to Sauternes, without dominating the flavour. Dishes such as quail with grapes, chicken with lemon, duck with honey and balsamic vinegar, lobster with mango sauce, duck breast with peaches or even a tajine (not forgetting the dried fruit). All desserts made with "light" flavoured fruit also work well here: pear, apple or peach tart, roasted pineapple, etc. Caramelised desserts such as Tarte Tatin are also worth trying.

Sauternes can also be used directly as an ingredient in a dish, in a sauce or accompanied by a Sauternes wine jelly. Examples include melon with Sauternes, rack of lamb caramelised with Sauternes or roast chicken basted with Sauternes.

Although this type of pairing requires great precision, it can be very interesting and, when done well, allows the wine to express itself clearly.

Contrast pairings:

Contrasting pairings have been particularly popular in recent years and appeal due to the wide range of possible combinations, allowing the chef to express their creativity. The globalisation of gastronomy, and in particular the success of Asian food, encourages this type of pairing, which is modern and in tune with the times. The starting point is that Sauternes wine, which can be described as somewhat exuberant, needs to be "calmed" and balanced by flavours of equal intensity.

Cheeses:

The various pairings with blue cheeses (Roquefort, Fourme d'Ambert, Stilton) are well known and are safe bets that can be used in many dishes. This is the archetypal pairing by contrast, where the exuberance of the cheese balances the sweetness and fruitiness of the wine. The pairing can be based around the raw product, with a cheese platter, but it also offers many possibilities for dishes (starters and main courses, even desserts). Examples include ravioli with Fourme d'Ambert and figs, Roquefort puff pastries, a salad of lamb's lettuce, pear, smoked duck breast and Roquefort, or a thin tart with pears and Fourme d'Ambert.

Tart desserts:

Another well-known and successful pairing is Sauternes with certain light, not-too-sweet desserts with a nice acidity. These include desserts made with citrus fruits, red berries, passion fruit, apricots, rhubarb, etc. The acidity of these fruits is strong enough to balance the sweetness of the wine and bring out its freshness. Examples include thin apricot tarts, crumbles, lemon and rhubarb tarts, and roasted apricots with rosemary.

Asian-influenced dishes:

Asian influences in gastronomy offer more daring and surprising pairings, but these can also be delicious. Asian cuisine contains many flavours that go well with Sauternes: spices such as curry, sweet and sour sauces, ginger and Sichuan pepper. Try your Sauternes with lamb curry, Thai-style prawn stir-fry, Thai basil chicken or lemongrass chicken. It seems – although we have never tried it – that Sauternes also goes very well with sushi, or rather sashimi (if you don't forget the ginger and wasabi)...

"Simple" dishes for the finest Sauternes:

The higher the quality of the wine, the simpler the dish should be, or at least, if the ingredients are of high quality, the cooking should be fairly simple, focusing on the ingredients themselves. This way, the dish merely accompanies the wine and does not risk overpowering or distorting it. Simple poultry dishes such as Sunday roast chicken (with crispy skin), recommended by Alexandre de Lur Saluces, former owner of Yquem, are excellent accompaniments to great Sauternes wines. This wine also goes very well with shellfish such as lobster, certain seafood (scallops) and delicate fish in sauce (sole, turbot, etc.).

So get cooking, keeping in mind the rule of flavour balance. The only limits to pairing Sauternes with food are your daring and creativity!

Sweet wines:

Sweet wines are made from white grapes and, more rarely, black grapes. The vinification process is similar to that of white wines, but the characteristics differ. Their sugar content is always above 45 grams per litre; between 12 and 45 grams per litre, they are referred to as semi-sweet wines.

History

The production of sweet wine dates back to ancient times. In ancient Greece, it was already served at the banquets of the Sophists. This was "saprian" wine made from rotten grapes produced on the island of Chios. The Crusaders discovered "macerated" wines in Cyprus and Constantinople, and the Knights Templar brought the technique back to France. In 1170, a topographical map, known as the Belleyme map, provides information on the layout of a vineyard that stretched mainly along the Garonne river and had few large, well-organised estates.

Writings attest that in 1312, more than 40,000 barrels from the provostship of Barsac were loaded at Langon, an important maritime centre thanks to its position on the Garonne. This provostship was then very important, but its territory was considerably reduced after the French conquest of 1453. In the^17th century, it covered almost exactly the area of the current Sauternes and Barsac appellations.

Raisining on the vine of the white Marsanne grape in Valais, Switzerland.

In the absence of documents, it would appear that late harvests already existed in the^16th and^17th centuries. However, these were mainly semi-sweet wines, highly sought after by Dutch merchants who were nevertheless unwilling to pay a price high enough to allow for successive harvests, which resulted in a significant reduction in yield. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Huguenot refugees in Holland imported their taste for sweet wines, but by the^17th century, the Dutch were producing a sweet white wine made from Aquitaine white wine to which they added sugar, alcohol, syrups and macerated plants.
It seems that the production of sweet and mellow wines only became widespread in Sauternes in the^18th and^19th centuries, due to the interest shown by great connoisseurs such as Thomas Jefferson and Grand Duke Constantine. By 1810, Sauternes already had its modern character, and Yquem's writings specify that 25 years earlier, the Yquem estate had been thoroughly modernised.

From the last quarter of^{the 18th} century onwards, the châteaux undertook a major effort to promote quality, and a great shift began from the banks of the Garonne to the interior and from small holdings to large estates. It is likely that from then on, the practice of sorting, which had probably been known for a long time, began to become widespread. The difficult years of the Revolution, stagnation and even a decline in prices slowed this development. It is said that it was not until 1836 that the era of great sweet wines truly began, when a Bordeaux merchant named Focke, owner of two châteaux in Bommes and Sauternes, decided to go against the unanimous advice of his peers and allow noble rot to develop. The experiment was a success and was imitated.

The archives of the château and the Gironde region show that as early as^{the 16th} century, special care of the vines and late harvesting were already customary. From the beginning of^{the 19th} century, successive sorting became the norm for all producers of sweet wines and in 1855, the classification drawn up for the Universal Exhibition recognised 26 classified growths.

For a long time, only the great châteaux dared to take the risk of true over-ripening. But when the great Sauternes wines became established, the allure of success encouraged small owners to imitate them and they in turn attempted to produce sweet wines. The problem that ensued was that, with the addition of their production, overproduction took hold at the beginning of^{the 20th} century, leading to a fall in prices and attempts at fraud. After several crises linked to the First and Second World Wars and the economic crisis of the 1930s, sweet wines have now stabilised thanks to the production of quality wines in the preferred regions.

State of the harvest

The grapes are richer in sugar than usual. Various techniques are used to achieve this:

passerillage on the vine = the grapes dry out on the vine;

off-vine drying = the bunches are cut and then left to dry;

the ice wine technique = ripe bunches are harvested during the first

frosts;

noble rot = action of Botrytis cinerea.

Production regions

France, with nearly 8,000 hectares, is the largest producer of sweet wines, but sweet wines, semi-sweet wines and even ice wines can be found in several other countries around the world. However, in 2011, France was the last country to produce sweet wines on a large scale using the traditional recipe of entirely botrytised grapes.

France

Sweet wines are found in France with 25 appellations in Bordeaux, the South-West, Jura, Alsace, Anjou and Touraine.

Sauternes

Château d'Yquem 1973.

The most famous vineyards are located on the left bank of the Garonne, about 40 kilometres upstream from Bordeaux, in Sauternes (1,600 hectares), Barsac (600 hectares), Bommes, Fargues and Preignac.
Here you will find some of the most tradition-conscious winegrowers producing the finest vintages, harvesting manually in several passes – bunch by bunch or even grape by grape – to select only the most botrytised berries. There can be up to six or seven successive selections, as at Château d'Yquem, involving a great deal of work, and therefore a large workforce and correspondingly high prices.

The alchemy of Sauternes wines is due to five factors:

Gravelly soil on a clay-limestone subsoil.

The oceanic climate.

The four grape varieties susceptible to Botrytis cinerea: Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc and Gris, and above all the local variety, Sémillon, which is naturally smooth and mellow.

The Ciron river, which, under its vegetation cover, provides the necessary humidity and mists that promote the development of Botrytis cinerea into noble rot.

Noble rot caused by Botrytis cinerea. The grapes become candied, their pulp concentrates in sugars and gives characteristic candied fruit aromas.

Around the Sauternes AOC, a few communes benefit from similar conditions to produce sweet wines or mellow wines of good quality but at more affordable prices, in Cérons, Sainte-Croix-du-Mont and Loupiac, Cadillac and Saint-Macaire.

The South-West

The south-west of France, outside the Bordeaux region, has many sweet wine appellations:

In the Dordogne, there are several sweet wine producers. All these AOCs benefit from the same grape varieties as Sauternes and the beneficial mists of the Dordogne river, as well as the Ciron river in Sauternes. They differ from Sauternes in that they have a more pronounced honey flavour. As early as the^16th century, wines from this region were exported to the Dutch, who had been introduced to them by the Huguenots who had found refuge there after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes.
The Côtes de Montravel and Haut-Montravel AOCs produce sweet wines that were already appreciated by Montaigne, who was born in the region.
Near Bergerac, the wines of Monbazillac cover nearly 2,000 hectares and are renowned.
In Bergerac itself, the small and confidential Rosette AOC benefits from an exceptional micro-terroir and microclimate and produces rather sweet wines.
South of the Dordogne River, on the hillsides between Monbazillac and Côtes de Castillon in Gironde, in the four communes near Saussignac, the Saussignac AOC offers sweet wines harvested from over 50 hectares where 31 producers continue to practise their craft. This wine was already appreciated by the giant Pantagruel.
In Lot-et-Garonne, the Côtes-de-Duras vineyard, located on the edge of the Bordeaux region, also produces sweet wines.
In the Gers, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh is made on the same terroir as red Madiran and produces a more confidential sweet wine. It is planted with different local grape varieties: Courbu, Gros and Petit Manseng and Arrufiac on vines pruned to a height of over two metres. One plot in Saint-Mont is known for being harvested on New Year's Eve (31 December).

Jurançon vineyard (Monein).

In the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, on the outskirts of Pau, Jurançon has been known since the reign of King Henry IV, who, according to legend, had a drop of the nectar placed on his lips at his baptism. The vines are also grown on tall stakes made of chestnut wood. In this piedmont terroir, the vines are better protected from frost and the harvest can wait until the first snows. It is a golden sweet wine with a spicy taste of cinnamon and cloves that can be kept for a very long time. Jurançon is the second AOC to benefit from the late harvest appellation.
In the Tarn, halfway between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, the Gaillac region produces a wide variety of wines (appreciated by Henri IV of France and Henri VIII of England), including a Gaillac Doux appellation made from the Mauzac grape variety planted on the lower slopes. This wine reflects the progress made by this appellation, which includes an increasing number of remarkable sweet wines, some made from grapes dried on the vine, others from a selection of noble grapes. In November 2011, the Gaillac appellation (AOC) was granted the late harvest designation, becoming the third French appellation to benefit from this authorisation.

Anjou

Anjou has several appellations for sweet or dessert wines, all of which are made from the Chenin grape variety, which also produces semi-dry wines. These wines are found under the appellations AOC Anjou, Coteaux du Layon (Maine-et-Loire) and Coteaux de l'Aubance (Maine-et-Loire). They are distinguished by a more or less pronounced aroma of acacia honey.
Since 2002, they have been entitled to the Sélection de Grains Nobles appellation under certain conditions. There are also three confidential appellations: Quarts-de-Chaume (on 30 hectares in Rochefort-sur-Loire), Chaume (in Beaulieu-sur-Layon) and Bonnezeaux (in Thouarcé).
Touraine
Tourainehas several appellations for sweet or syrupy wines, all made from the Chenin grape variety but with more diverse aromas than in Anjou:

In the Amboise and Azay-le-Rideau area

In the Vouvray area, sweet wines have aromas of white fruit and brioche and can be aged for a long time in tuffeau cellars

In the Montlouis-sur-Loire area, there are also wines aged in tuffeau cellars, but with aromas of quince.

The Jura

The Jura offers a unique speciality of sweet wines. The very rare straw wine is produced from a selection of the finest grapes from the harvest, which are left to dry for 3 to 5 months to concentrate their sugar and flavour on straw or wooden racks or suspended on wire. The grapes come from three varieties: Savagnin, Chardonnay and Poulsard. The pressed grape musts are naturally very rich in sugar, often more than 300 grams per litre. The wine is aged in small oak barrels for three years, during which time it develops aromas of candied fruit, prunes, honey, caramel and candied orange. Around fifteen producers continue to produce small quantities of this wine.

The Jura is also home to the famous vin jaune, which is only produced every six years.

Alsace

Since 1984, winegrowers have distinguished between two types of wine known as " sélections de grains nobles " and " vendanges tardives " (late harvests) according to the sugar content of the must. The former has a sugar content of between 256 and 279 grams per litre and must be made from grapes affected by " noble rot ".
The wines can be produced as AOC Alsace and "Grand Cru" but must come from the following four grape varieties: Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Muscat, which produce very aromatic wines.

Alsace also produces a small amount of ice wine.

Hungary

Tokaj vineyard in the^16th century.

In Hungary, Tokaji Aszu has been highly renowned for many centuries (" Wine of kings, king of wines ", Louis XV is said to have declared). It has been produced there since at least the 16th century.

The technique is different in Hungary. Botrytised berries are picked and kneaded to obtain a kind of thick paste which is added to the normal grape must. The intensity of the sweet wine can vary depending on the number of baskets used (puttonyos).

Switzerland

Switzerland produces several sweet wines (overripe, withered), particularly in the Valais vineyards, which enjoy favourable conditions for Botrytis cinerea and allow for late harvesting. In more humid regions such as the Lake Geneva basin, the passerillage technique is more commonly used.

Most Swiss wine estates have a sweet wine in their catalogue, but the quantities produced remain confidential. It should be noted that in French-speaking Switzerland, the term vin doux (sweet wine) is frequently used to refer to sweet wines, even though Swiss sweet wines are mostly obtained by over-ripening the grapes and not by mutation.

"Sous l'Escalier" Petite Arvine AOC Grain Noble from Domaine du Mont-D'Or.

The best-known grape varieties used are:

Petite Arvine (indigenous grape variety)

Amigne (indigenous grape variety, widespread in the Vétroz region)

Rèze (rare indigenous grape variety)

Humagne blanche

Ermitage (white Marsanne)

Johannisberg (Sylvaner)

Malvoisie (Pinot Gris).

Germany

Germany is also renowned for its sweet white wines, known as Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese (selection of noble grapes) and Spätlese (late harvest). Ice wine (Eiswein) can be found in Franconia, where the process is said to have been discovered in 1794, but also throughout the Moselle, Saar, Ruwer and Rheingau regions.

Bottles from Osberger (Lower Austria) Spätlese (Malvasier 1963 and 1971).

Austria

Austria is also renowned for its sweet white wines, known as Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese (selection of noble grapes) and Spätlese (late harvest).
Ice wine is also produced in Austria around Lake Neusiedlersee.

Luxembourg

In Luxembourg, the term " late harvest " has also been regulated for wines from the Luxembourg Moselle since 2001.

Canada

Frozen grapes that will be used to make ice wine.

Ice wines (late harvest) are found in Quebec, Ontario (Icewine) and British Columbia.
Since 2001, Europe has recognised the equivalence of ice wine production conditions in Canada, which is the world's leading producer. In 2004, an agreement was signed between the European Union and Canada to standardise production techniques and establish these appellations.

Fine selection of Sauternes.