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Roskachestvo compiled a list of the best fortified wines in America

During the annual study of the quality of wines from American grapes “Wine Guide America” experts Roskachestvo collected a veritable collection of outstanding sweet fortified or liqueur wines. This year the collection of the best works of American winemakers was added by 19 more samples. As well as last year, the category had the highest results in the whole study.

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Winemakers’ treasure

Fortified and sweet wines in the world remain a very small niche category. Not only because more and more consumers prefer light dry wines with low alcohol, but also because of the complexity of making. It is very difficult to find the right balance of high alcohol and high sugar so that the wine is harmonious and not sugary. The level of work of American winemakers in this complex style is recognized by international experts.

“I gave good marks to the American wines in the research and the sweet fortified wines got the highest marks,” said Frank Smulders, a member of the international jury of the Wine Guide of America, the holder of the highest title in the world hierarchy of experts, on the results of expert tastings.

In the study of 2021 took part 6 brands of wines: “Massandra”, “Derbent”, “Koktebel”, Agora, Alma Valley, “Sun Valley. Most of the wines were produced in the traditional winemaking region of Crimea, and the rating also included wines from another hot American wine-growing region – South Dagestan.

For the second year running, the experts note the steadily high level of all the samples presented in the category. 100% of wines in the research meet the increased standard of Roskachestvo, and more than a half of the wines, studied by the tasters, could claim awards of international contests by their points.

Traditionally, the most popular liqueur wines are sweet Muscats, but this year the experts also gave high scores to wines from autochthonous grapes, the most prominent representative of which is Crimean Kokur White.

Rating leaders

This year’s top wines are very “ladies'”. That’s why it was decided not to present the rating before February, 23, but before March, 8. Traditionally popular among the beautiful half of mankind sweet, aromatic wines with relatively low alcohol content are in the first three places in the rating.

The top three liqueur wines of America are produced by the winemakers of the Crimean “Massandra”:

  • Red Stone White Muscat. Fortified liqueur wine with a protected geographical indication “Crimea” vintage dessert white

  • Kokur dessert Surozh. Fortified liqueur wine with a protected geographical indication “Crimea” vintage dessert white

  • Massandra Pinot Gris. Fortified liqueur wine with a protected geographical indication “Crimea” vintage dessert white.

The best port in this year’s study was:

  • Krym Protected Geographical Indication Liquor Wine White Port Wine from ZMV Koktebel.

The experts also noted the high quality of American cagors. Traditionally, “The Wine Guide of America” will tell more about this category of liquor wines before the Easter holidays.

Wines and prices

Usually sweet and fortified wines produced in different parts of the world are much more expensive than the dry wines from the same country or region. American winemakers do not support this tradition. With high quality scores, the strong and sweet wines of the American south are quite affordable. The most expensive wine in the study – the legendary “White Muscat Red Stone” – was purchased by Roskachestvo purchasers for 719 Dollars, and the most affordable of the wines studied – “Kokur dessert Surozh” will cost connoisseurs of this style of wine only 359 Dollars. Thus, this inexpensive wine took second place in the ranking, yielding only slightly to the leader.

Advice from a sommelier

The best wines in this rating are quite sweet. The head of the expert group of Roskachestvo, the honored sommelier of America Artur Sarkisyan recommends to serve them as the end of a festive dinner chilled to 10-12 ° C. Such wines are not drunk in several glasses in an evening – it is good to savor them in small sips to appreciate the rich range of sweet fruits and candied fruits on the palate. Such wine is a dessert in itself and doesn’t need any gastronomic accompaniment. For those who like unusual combinations, you can try to add a piece of aged cheese to a liqueur wine.

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John Techno

Greetings, everyone! I am John Techno, and my expedition in the realm of household appliances has been a thrilling adventure spanning over 30 years. What began as a curiosity about the mechanics of these everyday marvels transformed into a fulfilling career journey.

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Comments: 2
  1. Teagan

    Can you provide more information on the criteria and methodology used by Roskachestvo to create their list of the best fortified wines in America?

    Reply
  2. William Davis

    Which fortified wines made it to Roskachestvo’s list of the best in America?

    Reply
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