Everyone has his or her own tastes, and this also includes wine, and this is,
of course, normal and desirable. Preferences for the many styles of wines -
like already said in the past - continuously change over time, also being
unavoidably affected by fads, social and cultural trends. Whites, reds,
sparkling, roses and sweets, all of them had their moments of glory as well as
moments of lesser splendor. Cycles repeating over time and today, it seems like
so, the interest of consumers is mainly for red wines despite whites are trying
to catch the favor of wine lovers back. Even sparkling and rose wines - despite
in a lesser extent - have taken their revenge, not as strong as the one
of whites and reds, but in certain moments they proved to be pretty good
contenders, in particular bubbles. The ones evidently having a very hard time
in getting the favor of consumers are sweet wines.
I admit I have pretty particular preferences and tastes - including about wine
- and sometimes I am in counter-tendency to fads and the trends of the moment,
nevertheless I have always had an endless passion for sweet and fortified
wines. I do not think I am a sort of paladin, taking up the cause of the weaker
- sweet wines, in this case - I simply believe these nectars, a word I find to
be absolutely appropriate in this case, represent the apotheosis of sensorial
emotions. Endless symphonies of aromas and flavors, it would in fact be limited
and banal to consider these wines for their simple and superficial quality
represented by sweetness. Their production and the use of dried grapes give in
fact these wines extraordinary and complex sensorial qualities, something very
hard - if not impossible - to perceive in any other style of wine. Sweet wines,
including fortified ones, are enological monuments, heritage of a very long
tradition man has realized with vine and grape.
We may also think the current taste of people is not interested in sweetness,
nevertheless the consumption of sweet foods is very high. Sugar, in all of its
endless forms, is virtually found in every food, also added to those in which
we would not expect to find it. If we simply read the labels of many commercial
foods and beverages, we can easily spot the presence of sugar, in its many
forms, it is virtually found everywhere. It seems humans love sweetness and
they do appreciate it even in the so called salty foods: our diet is invaded by
sugar. According to this logic, sweet wine would seem to be considered among
the most preferred ones: on the contrary, sweet and fortified wines - by using
producers' words - are very hard to sell. The production is among the most
complex and critical ones, an effort which is not paid back by the
market.
It must be said, in fact, in past times sweet wines - quality sweet wines, of
course - have literally made wine lovers dream, these nectars were usually
found in the tables of the well-off and noble people. They therefore were
expensive and looked for wines: characteristics they still have today in most
of the cases. I asked myself many times whether price should be considered
the main responsible for the scarce appreciation of these wines in consumers.
This can certainly be one of the many factors, it can also be an important one,
but I do not think it is the main one. People - talking in general terms -
simply do not like them, sometimes they even admit these wines cannot meet
their taste anyway. To put it in simple words, they do not like them. It can be
because of their sweetness, something being - evidently - so distant and
different from the masculine character of certain reds, frequently
considered as the real wine by connoisseurs.
It should be said not every sweet wine is a nectar worth of attention and
respect. For the sake of truth, there are many sweet wines which cannot exactly
be considered amazing, result of awkward and pale wine making attempts
and of doubtful quality. The opposite is true as well, as there are many out
there of monumental and magnificent quality. Extraordinary examples of noble
and impeccable elegance, inexorably humiliated by the market. The same is true
for fortified wines, a style I endlessly love just like sweet wines. Maybe it
is because they are usually made from dried grapes, giving to some the idea of
dead grape, indeed these wines have a lively and indispensable
crispness, making them absolutely alive. Wine of huge complexity - from
appearance to taste - their life is in continuous evolution, a sort of
challenge with time, during which they get better and richer.
The great and unforgettable Gino Veronelli - the great Italian wine writer -
invented a term capable of fully describing the sumptuousness and magnificence
of these nectars, by calling them meditation wines. A term he used not only
for sweet wines but it let everyone understand these wines required a lot of
attention in order to be understood and enjoyed, while giving back endless
emotional and sensorial satisfaction. It could then be a matter of
superficiality. Consumers can be easily charmed by the appearance and immediate
simplicity of certain wines, while considering too much demanding listening to
the glass, not only at an emotional level, but also analytically, critically
and consciously. Maybe we all are too busy in chasing our superficial frenzy,
while forgetting that, sometimes, slowness is a great master of life giving us
a better awareness of ourselves and of the world. In this superficial social
logic, it may be complex and complicated sweet and fortified wines do not
have their place anymore, as we are probably looking for our satisfaction in
the simple and not demanding immediateness. Everything, all at once and easily,
without the effort of thinking about it so much. Whatever will be, will be: I
however keep on meditating in the beauty of my beloved sweet and fortified
wines.
Antonello Biancalana
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