Probably we’re a few years past the time when this was a bold declaration, but I like sweet wines better than dry wines. I was trying to figure out why this is so–I do have a sweet tooth, but I like my savory food unsullied with sugar and have no problem with sour or bitter flavors. Then I realized it has everything to do with price.

Right now, I’m finishing up a great bottle of madeira. It’s the Rare Wine Company’s Boston Bual. The bottle was a gift, but for journalistic purposes I looked up the price, and it was probably about $45. This bottle brightened at least a dozen evenings, which makes it a great deal. This is another nice thing about fortified wines in particular: you can keep them around for weeks and they don’t go bad. I try to keep port and sherry on hand, too.

But you don’t need to spend anything like $45 to get a bottle of sweet wine that will make you tingle. A couple of years ago, when the great 2001 vintage was released, I got a bottle of German riesling auslese for $22 that knocked me on my ass–not in the way you’re thinking, since this is a low-alcohol wine.

Because dry wines are still the fashionable choice, sweet wines are comparatively underpriced. When was the last time you spent $20 for a dry wine and had it rock your world, oenologically speaking?

A great introduction to the world of sweet wines is James Peterson’s book, Sweet Wines.

Bartender: One Bonnezeaux, one Sauternes, one Okanagan Valley icewine, please. (Sweet wine drinkers always say please.)