Wine with Leslie: Get turned on to Sauternes and other sweet wines

And sweet sherry can be equally delicious — look too to Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, and even Spain. Take a risk, I promise you won’t regret it

Sweet wine: works beautifully with dessert or cheese — or sipped on its own

Why do so many of us turn our noses up at sweet wines? You may not want one with your roast beef or pizza, but why not with dessert or cheese, or simply sipped on its own? Dessert wines often represent the best price-quality ratio in the wine world: they can age for decades, at this time of year their prices are lowest, and, remember, the good ones balance sweetness with acidity and freshness.

Almost all the ancient literature that mentions wine comments positively on sweeter styles, and sweet wines such as Sauternes, Hungary’s Tokaji, South Africa’s Constantia, and Vintage Port were once prized by kings and connoisseurs worldwide.