Tasting Highlights' wine reviews are fresh out of the tasting room, offering a sneak peek of our editors' most recent scores and notes to WineSpectator.com members.
Valentine's Day is fast-approaching and whether you're single, in a relationship or it's complicated, you deserve some sweetness Feb. 14. Cards can give you paper cuts and roses have thorns—and sometimes your sweetheart is deathly allergic to chocolate because they're a dog. But wine is always a safe bet. Whether you're spoiling yourself or a loved one next week, here are six decadent dessert wines, each with a suggested sweet treat to match, and some knowledge you can impress your date with. Enjoy!
SELBACH-OSTER Riesling Auslese Mosel Wehlener Sonnenuhr 2017
WS review: This graceful auslese offers dried apricot, elderflower liqueur, honey and citrus notes bonded to a bright, racy structure. Ripe and sweet, but supple and almost weightless. Terrific length. Drink now through 2035. 105 cases imported.
Why it's of note: Rougly translated as "select harvest," auslese is one of six designations of the German Prädikat system, which determines grape ripeness levels. Auslese wines are considered on the cusp of dessert-wine threshold; they have sweetness and luscious flavors, but still maintain fierce acidity, like this version from Selbach-Oster.
Try it with: pineapple upside-down cake
ZYMÈ Veneto Passito Bianco Tranaltri 2015
WS review: This sweetie is more off-dry in style than full-on sweet and unctuous, with bright acidity enlivening the rich range of graham cracker, orange confit, dried apricot and praline flavors that linger on the lightly mouthwatering finish. Trebbiano Toscano and Garganega. Drink now through 2023. 75 cases imported.
Why it's of note: Passito is a style of dessert wine, traditional to northern Italy, made from grapes that are dried on straw mats. Zymè's Tranaltri is only made in select vintages, from Trebbiano and Garganega grapes that are dried naturally over the course of four months before fermentation. The wine then ages for around three years in small casks.
Try it with: gorgonzola with truffle honey
DOW Tawny Port 10 Year Old NV
WS review: A plump and rich style, with buckwheat, cinnamon, fruitcake and mulled plum notes nicely melded together. Offers a round, open finish. Shows a bit more oomph than range, but very tasty. Drink now. 3,200 cases imported.
Why it's of note: Made from indigenous Portuguese varieties, Port is fortified with a neutral grape spirit; this raises the alcohol content of the wine and stops the fermentation process, leaving higher levels of residual sugar. Ports are made in different styles, the most approachable of which is tawny Port, like this Dow bottling. Tawnies are aged in cask as opposed to bottle, where it's exposed to oxygen over time, giving the final wine a light hue and nutty, oxidized flavors.
Try it with: blueberry streusel
WAGNER Riesling Finger Lakes Ice 2017
WS review: Ripe and rich, featuring peach, mango and nectarine flavors, lined with hints of orange custard and heather honey. The unctuous finish shows good energy for balance. Drink now through 2026. 1,546 cases made.
Why it's of note: Ice wine is made from grapes that are left to freeze while still on the vine, turning water inside to ice. When the grapes are picked and pressed, only the juice is extracted, resulting in a high concentration of sugars. This Wagner Riesling, from the Finger Lakes region in New York, is then fermented in stainless steel tanks before being bottled.
Try it with: peach cobbler
DI MAJO NORANTE Moscato Molise Apianae 2015
WS review: This is burnished gold in hue, featuring exotic hints of coconut and mango, layered with honeyed apricot and candied almond notes, accented by citrus peel acidity. Up front and appealing, with a subtle finish. Drink now. 150 cases imported.
Why it's of note: Similar to the passito method, this wine is made from dried grapes, but here the drying takes place before the picking. This example from Di Majo Norante is named after the latin for bees, "api," which are said to be attracted to Moscato. The grapes go through cold maceration and ferment slowly over the course of 20 to 25 days; the wine ages for two years in barrel and an additional six months in bottle.
Try it with: mango lassi parfait
JORGE ORDOÑEZ & CO. Málaga No. 1 Selección Especial 2016
WS review: Honeysuckle and lime blossom aromas lead to spiced orange, bergamot and vanilla flavors in this expressive white. The juicy sweetness is balanced by fresh acidity. Muscat. Drink now. 400 cases imported.
Why it's of note: If you like Italian Moscato, you should meet its sweet Spanish cousin with Egyptian roots: Muscat of Alexandria. This Jorge Ordoñez wine employs late-harvest grapes from the Málaga region on the southern coast of Spain. After a rigorous sorting process, fermentation takes place in stainless steel, where the juice then ages for eight months on its lees.
Try it with: Key lime pie