It's not a surprise that most beginner wine drinkers will choose a sweet wine over any other selection. Anything less than sweet will often taste bitter for them and that can often times turn them off to the whole wine experience. Left to their own choices in a wine shop someone unfamiliar with wine will never know how to choose a wine that is sweet over a drier wine. More over they won't know what to serve with that wine or which one to choose from even if they do find the dessert wines.

If you want to make good choices when choosing a sweet wine then you need to know how to go about doing it the right way. To do that you have to know what wines are sweet, where to find the right sweet wine and when to pick the right one. Below is a four step process to choose the right sweet wine for your next occasion.

Ask yourself this question: Based on what I know about wine would I be able to walk into a store and identify a sweet wine? If you can't answer that with a definite yes, you need to either do some research prior to purchasing anything or ask the wine shop owner. A good bet is to do the research yourself. Not every wine shop merchant knows wine. Some choices to make off the cuff are Sauternes from France, which are made from Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grapes. Ice wine is a late harvest wine made from frozen grapes. Typically from Germany, more are coming out of Canada. They are pricey as the number of frozen grapes is few come harvest time and they usually come in half bottles. Port and Sherry are fortified wines, which mean they have had brandy added to increase the alcohol level as a balance to the sweetness. These are just a few to ask about.

They aren't mixed together with the other varietals; that's for sure. If you don't know that they are most likely in their own section then you could be there for a long time. Look in the dessert wine area. One thing to note is Riesling is probably the exception to this rule. But even a sweet Riesling will most likely be in the Germany section than the California section. Continuing on that train of thought, German Riesling is made in tiers of sweetness. It starts with your basic Riesling and then goes up to Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese with Auslese being the sweetest of the sweet Riesling wines. These aren't even considered dessert wines. After Auslese it moves into seriously sweet dessert wines: Berenauslese and Trockenberenauslese and then into ice wine.

Knowing is half the battle, as they say. If you understand your need for a dessert wine then you are more likely to know what type of wine you want to purchase. Often they are paired with desserts, so it's a good bet that's your reason. However, dessert wines, like fortified wines, can and are very often served by themselves as aperitifs. But that's not to say that a dessert wine can't accompany an appetizer. Often times a Sauterne will accompany a nice foie gras before a meal. The setting is very important to choosing the right sweet wine for your event. However if dessert is your choice then it helps to know what to pair it with.

The number one rule to pairing desserts with sweet wines is always make sure the dessert wine is sweeter than the dessert. It shouldn't be too far out of range of the dessert, but it should definitely be sweeter so you can enjoy the wine. Ideally the two will complement each other, but ultimately you are complimenting the wine with dessert.

That's it. That's all you need to know to make great choices in sweet wines. It's easy to learn about wine and if you can follow these steps then you will look like a expert in your friend's and family's eyes. Even if you are not an expert. Below is a video I felt defines the right wines to choose for dessert or whatever occasion you need it for. Enjoy.