Rating of the best sweet wines for 2024

Sweet wine belongs to the type of dessert, plays the role of a drink for enjoyment and meditation, is often used as an independent dessert due to its exquisite aroma and unique rich taste. Ideal for a romantic dinner, a fun party with friends, a quiet lonely evening with a glass in front of the fireplace. In moderate quantities it does not cause headaches and severe hangover, has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular and nervous system of the body. Its popularity is due to the balance of sweetness and strength, which differs from other types. However, the consumption of not all sweet wines turns out to be healthy and pleasant, consider the rating of quality drinks, according to buyers, which are better to buy in 2024.

How to choose sweet wine

Natural sweet wine, according to the sommelier, has several important characteristics:

• high content of residual sugar;
• strong acidity;
• rich range of aromas.

It depends on the grape variety, the characteristics of the collection and preparation of the material, the production technology.
Manufactured in many countries, not only the Old, but also the New World:

• France;
• Italy;
• Spain;
• Hungary;
• Russia;
• Canada;
• SOUTH AFRICA;
• Portugal.

The list also includes the Czech Republic, Germany, Argentina, New Zealand.

Each manufacturer has its own proven technology of production, aging and storage conditions to obtain the optimal ratio of alcohol and sugars. Therefore, to choose a quality drink, it is appropriate to take into account several features.

Classification

Let's consider what kind of wines are obtained by fermentation of special grape varieties. Immediately, we note that this is an exclusively alcoholic product, since during the fermentation process, under the influence of yeast, grape juice is processed into alcohol with a high sugar content. There are non-alcoholic sweet wines, which is achieved by filtration and vacuum distillation of the drink.

It is made only from grapes, which differs from liquor, which contains several components:

• berry juices;
• syrups;
• spices and spices;
• infusions of herbs.

Distinguish between white, red and the rarest - pink sweet wine, based on whether white or red grapes were used as wine material. Pink is obtained from red grapes with a short contact of colorless juice with pulp.The most famous of the pinks is Bandol.

Popular types of white wine:

• Chardonnay;
• Sauternes;
• Riesling;
• Sauvignon Blanc.

Famous red wines:

• Cabernet Sauvignon;
• Pinot Noir;
• Merlot;
• Bordeaux;
• Chianti.

According to the concentration of alcohol, they are low-alcoholic, with a strength of 6 to 12 degrees, strong, 13-16 degrees (Muscat, Cahors, Tokay). Fortified wine, over 17 degrees, is obtained by adding distillate alcohol to interrupt the fermentation process (port, Madeira, sherry).

According to the presence of carbon dioxide, sparkling is obtained, in which the bubbles of carbon dioxide are preserved when bottled (Asti, Lambrusco) and quiet, without bubbles.

If one grape variety was used in the preparation, such a wine is called mono-varietal (separate) - Solnechnaya Dolina, Black Doctor; from a mixture of varieties - blended (South Coast Red Port).

According to the aging period, wines are young (up to one year), vintage (from one to three years), collection (from 3 years with subsequent storage in special conditions of wine refrigerators or cellars).

Criterias of choice

Main selection criteria:

• label;
• bung;
• bottle;
• sediment;
• price.

Label. Before buying, it is advisable to carefully read the label, which should not be too colorful or too bright and contain:

• information about the manufacturer with the indication of the company engaged in production and bottling, the importing country, contact details. An unscrupulous manufacturer always tries to hide behind a small print on a counter-label, misleading an inexperienced buyer;
• information about the region of origin: even within the same country, not all regions are equally adapted for winemaking;
• a list of grape varieties, with the exception of expensive French wines, which are controlled by place of origin;
• a crop year, the absence of which indicates the use of powder concentrate or other chemical components.

Bung. Should fit snugly against the inner walls of the neck, not drawn in or protruding outward. Staining with the contents of the bottle indicates the correct lying position during storage, which prevents drying out and the ingress of air into the container. The unpleasant, musty smell of mold from the cork is unacceptable - this is a signal of a spoiled drink that poses a health hazard. You should not choose a bottle necessarily under a wooden cork - they have long been successfully replaced with screw caps, which somewhat reduces the final cost of the product.

Sediment. It is unacceptable in good wine, except in some cases with insignificant content. To prevent the appearance of sediment in natural wine, bottles with a recess at the bottom are used: then all the sediment remains on the walls, providing the content with transparency.

Price. Despite the natural desire of every customer to find a cheaper product, this rule does not work for wine: a good drink cannot be cheap. Therefore, you should be ready to shell out a rather large sum of money for a bottle of natural sweet wine. However, in specialized stores, expensive copies often become promotional items, and therefore more affordable. The minimum cost of a decent product fluctuates around 500 rubles, the bulk of sweet wines has a price of 500 to 1000 rubles, elite drinks with a solid aging period cost from 1000 rubles.

Recommendations

To purchase a natural product and avoid mistakes when choosing, it is advisable to be able to distinguish it from a fake. Here are some tips for what to look for when buying:

1. When deciding where to buy wine, it is advisable to give preference to special stores or large supermarkets: they choose reliable suppliers, have the necessary documentation confirming the quality of the goods, and control the incoming batch before selling. Can be ordered online from the official online alcohol store.
2. Choose drinks poured in clear darkened bottles of simple shape.
3. In addition to screw caps, which more and more manufacturers are switching to, there can be plugs with a uniform dense texture, without signs of mold or an unpleasant smell.
4. The factory stamp with the date of bottling should not be easily erased.
5. The product should be labeled “natural” and not “special” on the label.
6. No intense sediment is observed at the bottom of the bottle; it is possible only in a small amount.
7. The aroma and taste of this product is never overly pronounced.
8. Vintage collectible drinks are bottled in uneven, asymmetrical bottles.
9. The best manufacturers make sure that the place of origin and place of manufacture coincide, since the transport of the material leads to the loss of the best taste of the future product.
10. Pay attention to how much a drink costs: real aged cannot be cheap, the only exception is young wine.

An overview of the best drinks that can be bought in 2024 is divided into groups by price category (budget, inexpensive, elite). Consider a description of the characteristics, average price, advantages and disadvantages of each included in the TOP.

Rating of the best sweet wines under 500 rubles

White

Peter Mertes Alcoholri

Volume: 0.75 L
Average price: 490 rubles.

The soft drink from Germany has a light straw color, delicate floral aroma, fresh taste with harmonious sweetness. Made from a blend of white grapes from the Rheinhessen region. The technological process begins with the preparation of classic alcoholic wine, followed by vacuum distillation, which allows you to remove alcohol while preserving the original aroma, taste and useful qualities of the product.

• inexpensive;
• goes well with many dishes;
• original taste.

• almost no aftertaste.

Amable Tardio Dulce Natural

Volume: 0.75 L
Average price: 462 rubles.

Argentine drink of pale yellow color with a greenish tint has a rich fruity-honey aroma and an enveloping taste. A real pleasure at an affordable price. It is made on high-tech equipment according to a traditional recipe from selected ripe Chardonnay berries. Pressing and fermentation takes place at temperatures below +16 degrees to create a kind of mild taste.

• inexpensive;
• memorable aroma;
• delicate taste.

• alcohol is felt.

Red

Phanagoria Number reserve 1957 Cahors Canon

Volume: 0.75 L
Average price: 330 rubles.

Russian-made Kagor with fruity and creamy aroma and velvety taste. This light, aromatic drink is intended for daily enjoyment, as it is ideally combined with any dishes and desserts. It has no aftertaste of alcohol, and the pleasant sweetness of chocolate is felt in the intriguing aftertaste. The drink is made according to traditional technology from Cabernet Sauvignon and Saperavi grapes grown in the Kuban. Barrel aging does not pass, has a short shelf life.

• lightweight for daily consumption;
• velvety taste;
• inexpensive.

• not.

Pink

Baron dArignac

Volume: 0.75 L
Average price: 487 rubles.

A light wine of pale pink color with a fruity-floral aroma and spicy notes that are felt in the aftertaste. A blend of four varieties - Grenache, Carignana, Tempranillo, Syrah - provides the richness and complexity of the taste. Does not require aging, is served with vegetable dishes and as an aperitif.

• light pleasant taste;
• spicy aftertaste;
• rich flavor.

• not.

From 500 to 1000 rubles

White

Concha and Toro Frontera Moscato

Volume: 0.75 L
Average price: 617 rubles.

White sweet wine of bright golden color with fresh aroma and light mild taste. The aftertaste reveals sourness. A monosortic drink from Chile is made from Muscat of Alexandria, known for its taste. To preserve the aroma, the grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks after manual harvest.They are kept in them for about 12 months for a rich wine composition.

• memorable taste;
• pleasant aroma;
• high quality at an adequate price.

• too short aftertaste.

Massandra Muscat White Red Stone

Volume: 0.75 L
Average price: 986 rubles.

Vintage Crimean wine from the grape variety of the same name growing on the plantations of the Massandra winery is always popular with connoisseurs of sweet wines. A soft velvety drink with a honey aftertaste, an original aroma with notes of citrus, attracts with a beautiful amber color. The production technology includes the stage of aging the product for two years in oak barrels. This gives the drink sophistication and unique taste.

• optimal ratio of quality and cost;
• unforgettable aroma;
• velvety taste with aftertaste.

• not.

Red

Sun Valley Black Colonel

Volume: 0.75 L
Average price: 917 rubles.

One of the most popular Russian vintage wines of a dark ruby ​​hue with a complex aroma and rich fruit and herbal taste has a long aftertaste. The blend is made up of several varieties of the best Crimean grapes. This provides twice the content of phenolic ingredients responsible for the organoleptic characteristics of the product. A rich taste with a high, but optimal acidity and a pleasant aftertaste are obtained due to long aging in oak containers for up to three years.

• soft strong drink;
• successful blend;
• pleasant aftertaste.

• not.

Cahors Sun Valley

Volume: 0.75 L
Average price: 580 rubles.

It is made from the Crimean grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Odessa Black, Bastardo Magarachsky. Has a dark burgundy color, pleasant berry aroma. The oily enveloping drink is traditionally used for liturgical purposes in the Russian Orthodox Church; it can decorate any holiday. In the manufacturing process, the crushed berries are heated for a day, and then fermented and kept for up to a year.

• no sugary sweetness;
• moderately viscous;
• easy to drink.

• no aftertaste.

Pink

Tasek Jumper Moscato Rose

Volume: 0.75 L
Average price: 729 rub.

A soft juicy drink of a sparkling pink-orange hue with a refreshing scent, bubbles made from the Spanish Muscat grapes in the Valencia region. The optimal sweetness is due to the harvest time when the berries are at the stage of full ripeness with the maximum concentration of the best taste. During fermentation, the wort is separated from the pulp within a strictly specified period, which explains the achieved pale pink color.

• beautiful colour;
• refreshing;
• moderately sweet.

• not.

Elite (from 1000 rubles)

White

Jerez Nectar Pedro Jimenez

Volume: 0.75 L
Average price: 2268 rub.

A popular Spanish sherry of amber color with a fruity, somewhat spicy aroma, has a velvety balanced taste with a long finish with hints of oak. For production, the grape variety of the same name is used, which is harvested by hand up to six times a year, leaving it in the sun to wither for two weeks. During this time, the berries are gaining a sufficient concentration of sugar, after which they are fermented in barrels. The peculiarity of aging is in the specifics of stacking oak barrels with wine in a pyramid: when pouring the contents from the lower ones, younger wine comes from the upper ones. Thus, the aging period reaches 30 years.

• no alcoholic aftertaste;
• beautiful colour;
• pleasant aftertaste.

• not.

Yvon Mo Ivkur Sauternes

Volume: 0.75 L

Average price: 2426 rub.

A blend of grape varieties Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle gives an unforgettable bouquet to the French drink. It gives the wine a great combination of acidity and sweetness and a long-lasting pleasant aftertaste. Has a dazzling golden hue and a seductive fruity scent. After fermentation at a temperature of +18 degrees, there is a stage of aging on a thin lees from 6 to 12 months.This is the secret of the taste characteristics of the resulting product.

• long pleasant aftertaste;
• the perfect combination of acidity and sweetness.

• alcohol is slightly felt.

Red

Recioto della Valpolicella

Volume: 0.75 L
Average price: 3794 rub.

This unique drink of deep ruby ​​color with a rich aroma has an optimal combination of sweetness and acidity and a long aftertaste. The berries are picked by hand and dried for 120 days. Then it is crushed and left to ferment with daily hand pressing three times a day. The product is aged for 18 months in oak barrels, then bottled.

• rich aftertaste;
• balance of sweetness and acidity;
• goes well with many dishes.

• expensive.

Port Valdouru Ruby Porto

Volume: 0.75 L
Average price: 1375 rub.

Sweet, with a rich raisin taste, a pleasant aftertaste, the drink has a burgundy hue and a strong aroma. Suitable for connoisseurs of aged wines. The blend is made up of three grape varieties of Portugal, which retain their natural smell and taste due to a certain temperature and aging period - at least three years. Port wine is not intended for long-term storage.

• specific viscous taste;
• incredible blend aroma;
• alcohol is not felt.

• harsh taste.

Pink

Domain dEsperance Floc de Gascony

Volume: 0.75 L.
Average price: 3,043 rubles.

Special strong rosé, rich raspberry color with a pleasant juicy taste, shaded with spices and bright fruity bouquet of aroma. The popular French aperitif is made from Merlot, Tannat, and Armagnac spirits. The flavor combinations of the blend are carefully selected. The bottled product is kept in cellars for about a year, experts say that the organoleptic qualities of wine are best manifested at the age of 2-3 years.

• pleasant fruity-floral aroma;
• unique astringent taste;
• great aperitif.

• expensive.

The list of popular includes sweet wines that meet the high requirements and standards that have developed over the centuries-old history of winemaking, provide a beneficial effect on human health, have a unique bouquet, exquisite aroma, color and the best customer reviews. The given rating will tell you which brand's drink is better to buy in order to get real pleasure and avoid the negative consequences of consumption.