Dessert wines are a relatively new phenomenon in Australia, with De Bortoli having success in 1982 with their Noble One Botritis Semillon. A number of other winemakers produce dessert wines, but very few reach the level of complexity and have difficulty correctly balancing the sweet flavours.

While a lot of the really good dessert wines come from Tasmania (reviews coming soon), the Yarra Valley has some good examples as well. A particularly good one is Yarrawood 2016 Botrytis Riesling.

At $32 for a 375mL bottle, it is around the average price for a dessert wine, but that is where it stops being average. The colour is a brilliant gold and the viscosity is thick and syrupy. In terms of flavour, think marmalade.

This isn’t the best desert wine the Walkabout Crew has sampled, but it is quite easily in the top ten.