1. Award in Wines & Spirits
WSET® Level 2
Award in Wines & Spirits
Session 9:
Sweet Wines

2. Sweet Wines AIM: sugar to remain in the finished wine Methods
Yeast dies when alcohol reaches above 15% abv
Methods
Interrupting the fermentation
Adding a sweet component
Concentration of sugars in the grapes

3. Interrupting the Fermentation
Filtration (removing the yeast)
Fortification (killing the yeast)
sulfur dioxide
alcohol

4. Adding a sweet component
Unfermented grape juice (süssreserve)
Adding sweet wine

5. Concentration of sugars in the grapes
Dried Grapes
late harvested healthy grapes shrivelled on the vine or dried out after picking
flavours
dried fruit, raisin
e.g. Recioto, PX (Pedro Ximénez)

6. Concentration of sugars in the grapes
Noble rot/Botrytis cinerea
mould attacks ripe, healthy grapes which shrivel on the vine
hand-harvested
flavours
orange marmalade, apricot, ryebread
e.g. Sauternes, Tokaji, some Auslese,Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese

7. Concentration of sugars in the grapes
Frozen Grapes
healthy grapes frozen on the vine
harvested in winter
flavours
intense pure varietal
e.g. Icewine/Eiswein

8. Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine®
APPEARANCE
Clarity
clear – hazy
Intensity
pale – medium – deep
Colour
white
rosé
red
lemon – gold – amber
pink – salmon – orange
purple – ruby – garnet – tawny
NOSE
Condition
clean – unclean
light – medium – pronounced
Aroma characteristics
e.g. fruits, flowers, spices, vegetables, oak aromas, other
PALATE
Sweetness
dry – off-dry – medium – sweet
Acidity
low – medium – high
Tannin
Body
light– medium – full
Flavour Characteristics
e.g. fruits, flowers, spices, vegetables, oak flavours, other
Finish
short – medium – long
CONCLUSIONS
Quality
faulty – poor – acceptable – good – very good – outstanding