Valckenberg Ortega Trockenbeerenauslese 1999

Color & Clarity
The Valckenberg Ortega Trockenbeerenauslese has an interesting golden color, sometimes looking more orange and sometimes more coppery.

Nose
There are only very slight floral or fruit aromas in the Valckenberg Ortega Trockenbeerenauslese — it's just too indistinct to tell for sure. There is far more aroma intensity when the bottle is first opened but then it dissipated in a very short period of time. Be sure to catch a good whiff of it right away, otherwise it'll be lost forever.

Palate
The flavor of the Valckenberg Ortega Trockenbeerenauslese is primarily sweet and uncomplicated, which is probably what you'd expect from a dessert wine and is very thick in the mouth. The flavors for this heavy-bodied wine are very extended, too.

The Valckenberg Ortega Trockenbeerenauslese is a heavy dessert wine so we paired it with several popular dessert choices. Unfortunately we disagreed on just how well the Valckenberg Ortega paired with several of them.

Pairing Valckenberg Ortega Trockenbeerenauslese with Desserts

• Apple Pie: I think that the apple pie caused an increase in the alcohol burn of the Valckenberg Ortega in the back of my throat; she thought the wine tasted a bit spicier.
• Key Lime Pie: I felt that the wine was more sour with the key lime pie; she thought that the Valckenberg Ortega was simply drier.
• Dark Chocolate Cake: I thought this was a fair pairing — nothing great, but the best of the bunch because the Valckenberg Ortega was able to stand up well to the strong dark chocolate. She wasn't quite as impressed with how the chocolate cake went with the wine, but didn't dislike it either.
• Strawberries & Pound Cake: I thought this was a poor pairing with both the dessert and the wine tasting worse for being with each other; she wasn't as disappointed but also wasn't happy with it.
• Fresh Fruit: This is definitely an atrocious pairing that should be avoided at all costs — the fruit just isn't sweet enough to go with the Valckenberg Ortega; she agreed overall, though felt that pineapple and watermelon weren't quite so horrible.