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Examples of Tasty Sweet Red Wine
Some grapes have a natural sweetness which flavors the wine. You can get different levels of sweetness in wine depending on the length of time the grapes remain on the grapevine, as well as other growing conditions. A fruity wine is usually sweeter than a non-fruity one. A sweet red wine is red because of the grape skin which is left in the wine during the production process.
You can make a white wine from a red grape if the skin is removed immediately. A sweet red wine does not have to be a dessert wine because there are ways to change the sweetness or sugar content of the wine. One of the easiest ways to sweeten a wine is to add sugar to it. Alternatively some of the water content could be removed, and this will concentrate the sweetness, resulting in a sweet red wine.
A sweet red wine is not the most popular type of red wine, and searching for it online can lead you to ports or dessert wines, which are usually fortified so they do not just taste like the grape.
If you are looking for a true sweet red wine, it is better to choose something fruity and light in color, rather than a fortified liqueur-type wine. The sweetness from a true sweet red wine might not be the kind of sweetness you get from a liqueur but the wine should please those who like wine but have a sweet tooth and are not so keen on dry wines.
Sweet Red Wine Examples
You might like to try Barbera which offers a berry flavor and strong color, or Cabernet. Although Cabernet is not "sweet" like candy or cola is sweet, it can have a medium-sweet flavor. Remember that in wine the opposite of sweet is "dry" and there are different levels of sweetness. If you are looking for candy sweetness, you might have to go for a true dessert wine.
Grenache wines can be sweet, although some can also be dry. The same applies to blush wines, which are also known as rose wines. Try a Syrah from a California winery, or an Australian Syrah. Some types of Zinfandel can be sweet too.
Food Pairing with Sweet Red Wine
White meat dishes and chicken can be nice served with a sweet red wine, as can Italian food, especially pizza or tomato-rich pasta dishes. For beef or game, you might prefer to serve a full-bodied dryer style wine, although sweet red wine can be nice served with goose or duck.
Of course, you already know that port goes with cheese and some desserts, and dessert wines go with many kinds of desserts, but what about other types of sweet red wine? Try serving Zinfandel, Syrah, or Sauvignon with chocolate - you might be pleasantly surprised at this pairing!
