vin doux naturel (VDN)
[van doo nah-tew-REHL]
French for “naturally sweet wine.” This refers to a category of sweet, FORTIFIED WINES made from grapes that are high in natural sugar (capable of reaching 15 percent ALCOHOL) and whose FERMENTATION is stopped by the addition of a neutral alcohol (no more than 10 percent of the volume). The resulting wines are usually 15 to 18 percent alcohol but can range as high as 211⁄2 percent. VDNs vary in sweetness, with white wines generally being sweeter and less alcoholic than reds. Most VDN white wines are made from MUSCAT, usually Muscat à Petits Grains or Muscat of Alexandria. APPELLATION D’ORIGINE CONTRÔLÉES (ACS) noted for their VDN whites include MUSCAT DE BEAUMES-DE-VENISE, MUSCAT DE FRONTIGNAN, Muscat de Lunel, Muscat de Mireval, MUSCAT DE RIVESALTES, and Muscat de St-Jean-de-Minervois. The best known VDN red and ROSÉ wines, produced primarily from GRENACHE, are from the ACs of BANYULS, MAURY, RASTEAU, and RIVESALTES.
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fortification, alcohol
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc.
1995 based on THE WINE LOVER'S COMPANION,
by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst.
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