Sweet wine

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Designation for wines with a high content of unfermented sugar that are made from grapes rich in sugar. Optimal climatic conditions exist in many places around the Mediterranean, which is why many of the famous sweet wines come from Greece, Spain, France, Portugal and Italy. They have an ancient tradition. The most famous ancient wines include the sultana wine Passum from Rome and Commandaria from the island of Cyprus.

Famous sweet wines

In the late Middle Ages, sweet wines were very popular with European ruling houses and aristocratic circles. The Greek port of Monemvasia was a famous trading centre for sweet specialities from islands in the Aegean such as Crete, Paros, Samos and Santorini. The emerging global trade made Constantia from South Africa, sweet wines from France such as Château d'Yquem and Tokay from Hungary famous. From the 16th century onwards, expeditions to the newly discovered territories of the New World preserved the wines with alcohol enhancers (sprits) for the long sea voyages. This marked the beginning of the triumphant advance of Madeira, port wine, sherry and co.

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Sweet wine

Famous sweet wines

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