Five Wines To Make Easter Sweeter

Easter was always a magical time in my house as a kid. We would dye eggs and take them to school (the smell got pretty bad in the school corridors I remember!), watch cartoons about the Easter Bunny and, eat as much chocolate as is humanly possible because, well, we could; “it’s Easter mum, you’re supposed to eat a lot of chocolate”!

But as I got older my lust for chocolate waned as did my sweet tooth for food and as I reached the legal age of drinking (or there about) my sugar starved palate craved something sweet but in liquid form. Then I found Port wine and my life changed and since that day I have been a huge fan of anything sweet that comes in a wine bottle.

So, this Easter, as a non-advocate of Chocolate and one with a sweet tooth, I thought I’d recommend five wines of the sweet variety that you can drink this weekend as a substitute for the sweet chocolate and candy eggs that will be flying off supermarket shelves as I write. Anyway guys, you have a great argument that sweet wines are better for you than chocolate and you’re doing your wife, and your waistline a favour by indulging in wine rather than chocolate and sweets!

However, the first wine is most definitely for you ladies and is the Stella Bella Pink Muscat, one of my favourite sweet wines from Australia and a perfect wine for drinking at home over the Easter Break. It low in alcohol so whilst hubby is passed out on the sofa, you’ll still be compos mentis enough to put the kids to bed, wipe the drool from hubby’s chin and settle back in front of Sex and the City with another glass or two. The wine has vibrant strawberry flavours and is the perfect drink to drink chilled whist you put your feet up and chill yourself after the kids are asleep!

Spanish wines are getting more and more popular here in Hong Kong and the presence of more Spanish restaurants has brought more Spanish wines to the city. A long time favourite of mine and one that I have to hold myself back from taking out of my cellar is the Principe de Viana Vendimia Tardia (Late Harvest) Chardonnay. I have been in love with this wine since I first tried it in 2008 and it still makes my top list of sweet wines. The wine is from Navarra and seriously good value for money and would go nicely with Foie Gras as well as just on its own as you kick back and relax.

 

There has to be a French wine in there somewhere and in this case I recommend two (so it’s not really a top five but a top six) wines from Sauternes. Chateau de Fargues and Chateau Coutet rocked my world at the recent Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting with their 2010 vintages and, having tasted a few of their older vintages it’s my view that these are two of the very best both in terms of quality and value for money that you can find on the Hong Kong market. No list of sweet wines is complete without a Sauternes or two and, although I sometimes find them somewhat cloying at times, these two certainly do it for me.

Staying in Europe, I’d have to say that one of the best sweet wines from Italy I have tried recently and that has (literally) just arrived on Hong Kong’s shores, is the Da Vinci Vin Santo. Vin Santo is a traditional Italian dessert wine, hailing from Tuscany and is normally made from Trebbiano and Malvasia. The 2006 Da Vinci Vin Santo is a deep amber colour and has great acidity allowing for a smoother palate and none of that cloying you get from some sweet wines. The winery has already done the hard work for you by aging it so picking up a bottle of this 7 year old wine will be well worth it.

Finally, moving to South Africa and arguably the most famous sweet wine ever produced and the benchmark for other sweet wine producers. It is, of course, the Klein Constantia Vin de Constance, a staple in my house and one that can be drunk young or that will benefit from years, if not decades of aging. A wine that almost died out were it not for the pioneering efforts of Professor Chris Orffer and the guys at Klein Constantia. Over the years is has always been a regal wine with the likes of Napoleon, King George IV and Queen Victoria all being regular customers. It’s a straight Muscat and is made today the same way it has been since the 1800’s and is a real delight to drink.

Although it’s not Easter for a few more days yet, I would presume that today is the last day you can order to be able to get your wines delivered before the Easter break. As none of the wines listed are available from the supermarket I suggest you get on line or on the phone now and pick up a few bottles – I was once told by famous German winemaker Dr. Loosen that drinking sweet wines in the morning is better for you than drinking coffee. I am yet to experiment with this but as we all have a four day holiday, I see no reason why not to have a quick morning glass of sticky…after all, if you do have kids, all that chocolate is going to give them untold energy, so you’ll need something to put you to sleep after lunch!

Happy Easter all, drink responsibly but with great wines!

Stella Bella Pink Muscat is available in Hong Kong from Wine N Things - www.winenthingshk.com

Principe de Viana Vendimia Tardia is available from Vinspiration Hong Kong - paul@vinspirationhk.com

Chateau de Fargues is available from One Red Dot Fine Wines - www.onereddot.com

Chateau Coutet is available from Watson's Wine Cellar - www.watsonswine.com

Da Vinci Vin Santo is available from Victoria Wines - www.victoriawines.com.hk

Klein Constantia Vin de Constance is available from ASC Fine Wines - www.asc-wines.com