Tonight we are going to review a late harvestriesling wine, which is in fact a dessert wine – Late Harvest Rhein Riesling 2016 by F’autor Winery. Late harvest wines are made from grapes that are left on the vine even after they’ve reached their peak ripeness, thus they become sweeter due to dehydration, therefore the sugar content increases and becomes more concentrated. Technically, any grape variety can be used for the production of late harvest wines, yet there are some varieties that excel more than the others for this wine style and riesling is one of them – in fact it is the most popular grape variety for producing late harvest wines, mostly due to its natural high acidity. But enough theory, without further ado let’s move on straight to the tasting!
This is definitely a fine Wine of Moldova and the overall rating says the same, with 91.8 points scored it is right there, among the best wines we’ve tasted so far. Please click on the chart icon on the left in order to get to the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines we’ve tasted to date.
Conclusion: this is a very fine and delicate late harvest wine, right at the summit of its prime form – elegant, noble and extremely appealing, with a nuanced fruity-tropical profile. Our insistent recommendation is to drink it now, as long as it is still full of flamboyance and finesse. That said, you can still keep it for later occasions, as sweet wines usually respond well to ageing due to high amount of residual sugar and high acidity, and this one is no exception – it may age well for another year or two. Our suggestion is to pair this wine with creamy desserts rich in smooth textures, like for example crème brûlée, strawberry-peach panna cotta or a walnut butter cake. Yummy!
