Late harvest wines are made from grapes left on the vine past normal picking times to build sugar levels. Andre Van Der Heyden is known for crafting lengthy aged wines, including ‘to die for’ sweet, late harvest wines, perfect for slow sipping after a meal or, our personal favorite, a thoughtful pairing with dessert. Chocolate ganache molten lava cake comes to mind.
His 2005 Late Harvest Petite Sirah is also our most 5-star reviewed wine! It is sweet, silky and decadent. It pairs well with any meat, game or duck and is especially yummy with Stilton cheese, chocolate or even drizzled over ice cream! The rule of thumb for pairing is that the wine should be at least as sweet as the dessert, with enough acidity for balance. This will allow the wine to stand up to the food rather than coming across as overly bitter and acidic. As the colors of the dessert gets darker, so should the wine.
The great shelf life of sweet wines is much longer than the dry counterpart. Re-corked and stored in the fridge, sweet wines will last 4 – 6 weeks because their residual sugar acts as a preservative. A half glass or two a week is all it takes to enjoy a bottle. So grab a bottle or two to hide in the cellar and enjoy the long days of winter. Hurry before they are all gone…only 30 bottles left in the world! Andre is retired.
Rosandra E.
Delicious
"After hearing about the wine from a few friends, this wine certainly did not disappoint. The aroma was exactly what I expected with deep notes of plum and raspberries. Pairs perfectly with duck and an outstanding pairing with blue cheese dressing over fillet mignon."
Katherine L.
Still delicious
"So sad the Van Der Heydens are retiring. So glad there is still some left of their wonderful sweet dessert wines. Rich but not cloying. I even like it drizzled on ice cream. Thank you."
Tanya K.
"Had a great experience of purchasing from Travelfood Curated Wines. Laura is friendly, quick to respond, and accommodating. Thanks!!"