Sweet stuff: The pick of dessert wines

After-dinner wines can be “wonderfully complex, warming, and aromatic,” said Kara Newman in Wine Enthusiast. Yet they are often dismissed as being “too sweet,” perhaps because some consumers assume they are all alike. In fact, there are three different kinds.

Sauternes and Tokaji from Hungary are examples of late-harvest or botrytized wines made from grapes left on the vine to “dry out and sweeten” them. Wines made from grapes that have frozen on the vine are called ice wines. And then there are fortified wines, such as Madeira, Port, and sherry, to which brandy is added. Some of the best sweet options just now are late-harvest wines. Here’s a selection, with tasting scores based on a 100-point scale:

Livio Felluga 2004 Picolit (Colli Orientali del Friuli) ($100 for 500 ml; 95) An “editor’s choice” and “absolutely fabulous.” This after-dinner masterpiece is an elegant accompaniment to foie gras.

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Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 ‘Ethos’ Late Harvest White Riesling (Columbia Valley) ($40 for 375 ml; 96) A “decadently ripe” wine from Washington state, with graceful flavors of mango and butterscotch.

Château Suduiraut 2003 Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes (Bordeaux) ($30, 90) Opulently rich, uniquely intense. “Affordable.”

Donnafugata 2006 Ben Ryé Passito di Pantelleria ($40, 95) Another “editor’s choice.” A vibrant, amber-colored wine from one of Sicily’s “most dynamic wineries.” A taste of dried figs, apricot, and honey pairs perfectly with Stilton or Gorgonzola blue cheese.

EOS 2006 Tears of Dew Late Harvest Muscato (Paso Robles) ($22 for 375 ml; 95) An extremely sweet wine, but also charmingly rich. “In the front ranks of California dessert white wines.”