Sipping the sweetest thing

Traditionally a holiday season purchase, sweet wine is at last enjoying its time in the sun - not just as a dessert wine, but as a sought-after wine type in its own right.

The influence of the New World on dry wines over the last 20 years has prompted this transformation, by creating a modern palette attuned to sweeter wines.

Traditionally, Bordeaux, Riojas, Barolos and Burgundy pinot noirs were known as dry wines ...