(Contributed by Marina Copeland) – Pairing wine and dessert can be tricky. Get it right, and you’ll create an experience of gastronomic bliss for yourself and your guests. Get it wrong, and they’ll remember the end of your meal for all the wrong reasons. Following is a list of 9 dessert and wine combinations that are sure to make you a hero. The main guideline to remember with dessert pairings is that the wine should always be a little sweeter than the food it is paired with (see more guidelines at the end of this article).
1. White Chocolate and Moscato d’Asti
The sweet, light fizz of Italy’s Moscato d’Asti is an exquisite match for buttery, mellow white chocolate. The sweetness of the Moscato d’Asti will highlight the creaminess of the chocolate, creating a sensational dessert experience. A sweeter Spanish sherry or Orange Muscat will have the same effect.
2. Chocolate Mousse and Syrah/Shiraz
Syrah or Shiraz is perfect for pairing with a mousse made with semi-sweet or bitter chocolate (70% cacao). The wine’s redcurrant, violet, white pepper, and dried coriander notes provide an element of noticeable yet subtle sweetness, natural acidity, and a finish that’s silky and long-lasting.
3. Marzipan Almond Cake and an Oaked Chardonnay
Oaked chardonnay is known for its buttery, creamy mouthfeel, and often has nutty marzipan notes. When the wine is chilled, these notes become more pronounced, making it an ideal choice for pairing with almond-based desserts such as an Italian marzipan almond cake.
4. Crème Brûlée and Sauternes
If you’re serving crème brûlée, pair it with a delicate, sweet wine that won’t overpower the custard’s vanilla flavor. A sweet Bordeaux Sauternes with honey and apricot notes will create a beautiful combination with this classic French dessert.
5. Champagne and Salted Caramel Tarts
Champagne or another sparkling wine with naturally high acidity is the perfect complement to salted caramel tarts. The fizz of the wine pairs well with the caramel’s smoothness, the acidity of the wine balanced with the salt, and the flavors of the wine enhance those of the tart and vice versa.
6. Dry Riesling and Peach Cobbler
A popular German wine, dry riesling has notes of green apple and citrus and can range from sweet to dry. Drier Rieslings are known for also offering slate-like minerality. The fruit flavors and bright acidity of the wine cuts through the rich flavors and syrupy sweetness of the peach cobbler while enhancing the fruitiness of the peach. The wine’s earthy tones also enhance the flaky crust’s understated sweetness.
7. Cabernet Sauvignon and a Cheese Plate with Quince Paste
If you’d rather end your meal with a savory dessert in the form of a plate of Spanish sheep’s milk or Manchego cheese with toasted hazelnuts and a quince paste known as membrillo, combine it with Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine’s red fruit flavors are a great match for the quince paste’s delicate sweetness and natural tannins.
8. Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc and Cheesecake
Complex, full, and multilayered, Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc has ripe tropical fruit, tangy dried fruit, and rich honeyed, and citrus fruit flavors. These flavors enhance the savory quality of the cheesecake’s cream cheese over the sweetness of the dessert.
9. Pedro Ximénez Sherry and Coffee and Walnut Cake
The coffee and walnut cake’s bold flavors require a strong fortified wine that can match the cake’s flavors and mouthfeel. Pair the cake with Pedro Ximénez sherry, known for its sweetness and toasted coffee notes that will complement the dessert perfectly.
Basic Guidelines to Consider When Pairing Wine With Dessert
Wine and Chocolate – Served in the right combination, wine and chocolate can be blissfully good. While there’s a general rule about not pairing wines and desserts according to the level of sweetness, you can break that rule when it comes to wine and chocolate. As a rule of thumb, pair dark chocolate with fortified deep red wines, and pair milk and white chocolate with white wines.
Wine and Nut Desserts – The nuts usually used in desserts are slightly bitter and have creamy textures. If your dessert includes nuts with bolder flavors, pair it with a bold wine. If the nuts have more subtle flavors, combine your dessert with an elegant oak-aged white wine. If your dessert is nutty and sugary, pair it with a sweeter wine. It’s helpful to remember that sweet sherries with notes of dried fruit and toast enhance the flavors of most nuts.
Wine and Dairy Desserts – When thinking about combining wine and a dairy dessert, it’s important to match the flavors of the wine with those of the dessert. Oak-aged white wines with buttery notes pair well with creamy, dairy-rich desserts, while sweet wines with honey notes pair well with smooth, creamy desserts.
Wine and Syrupy Desserts – Be careful when pairing wine with cakes, desserts, and puddings, which include lashings to caramel, honey, syrup, toffee, and other sweet, sticky ingredients. The right wine will subtly enhance the flavor of the dish, whereas the wrong wine will make it overly sweet. Rich, full-bodied fortified wines which aren’t too sweet are a good pairing for incredibly sweet desserts, while crisp sparkling wines add a refreshing contrast to dishes which are sweet, syrupy, and sticky.
Wine and Fruit Desserts – When pairing wine with fruit or a fruit-based dessert, choose a wine which enhances the dish’s flavor. A good rule of thumb to follow is to pair white wines with fruit. The wine should have a subtle sweetness which will complement the natural sweetness of the fruit. If you’re serving fragrant fruit, pair it with an aromatic white wine.
In summary, pairing wine with dessert can be an exciting and memorable way to end a meal. Especially if you’re working with hard-to-find wines that deserve special treatment and a chance to savor every sip. The trick is to approach your pairing carefully, taking care that flavors balance or complement one another rather than being overpowering. When you get this right, the results speak for themselves.
This article was contributed by Marina Copeland. She is a freelance writer by profession, but a foodie by choice. She writes about everything under the sun, especially the events that transpire within her kitchen. She likes all things sweet and salty, but she’s also always up for flavorful adventures. One of her favorite sayings is: “Life is short. Buy the shoes. Drink the wine. Order the dessert.” She can be contacted at: marina@mcopeland.me