Holidays and gatherings are the perfect excuse to end on a sweet note—and the right wine pairing can take dessert from tasty to unforgettable! Here are two golden rules for delicious success:
Match acidity with acidity – Serving a fruit-based dessert? Pair it with a wine that’s just as zesty. The wine’s acidity will make those fruit flavors sing!
Sweetness wins – Your dessert wine should always be sweeter than the dessert itself. Otherwise, the wine can taste flat and dull (and nobody wants that).
DESSERT PAIRINGS
Dessert & Wine Pairing Magic
From silky custards to crunchy cookies, desserts shine even brighter when paired with the perfect wine! Here are a few irresistible combos to try: Custard Creations – Think sweetened milk, cream, or cheese gently simmered with eggs until velvety smooth. These creamy delights are heavenly alongside a late-harvest Riesling or a sweet sparkling sip like Asti Spumante. Pure bliss in every bite!
Pecan Pie & Nutty Treats – That crunchy-creamy, sweet-nutty combo is next-level when paired with a sherry. The richness of the wine amplifies the pie’s caramelized pecans for a cozy, festive match. Chocolate Chip Cookies – Yes, even cookies deserve wine! Pair them with Madeira, the legendary fortified wine from Portugal’s Atlantic Island. With styles ranging from dry and nutty to lusciously sweet, there’s a Madeira for every cookie mood.
Sweet suggestions
Brachetto d’Acqui is a semi-sweet sparkling wine produced exclusively in Piedmont, Italy. It is renowned for its enticing candied and floral aromas. The term “Brachetto” refers to both the grape and the wine itself. Brachetto pairs wonderfully with chocolate, especially dark chocolate, and goes well with a variety of dishes such as French toast, caramel, fruit salad, mascarpone, and pancakes. It is an ideal choice for brunch. I recommend Rosa Regale, click for more info on this wine.
Tokaji Aszú is renowned as the world’s oldest sweet wine and is Hungary’s most famous dessert wine. Often referred to as the “king of wines,” Tokaji boasts a rich tradition and is among the most expensive wines globally. This exquisite wine features high acidity and tannins. The grapes ripen late in the season, allowing them to accumulate significant amounts of sugar.
Tokaji wine is primarily made from Furmint grapes that are affected by a specific type of rot known as Botrytis cinerea, which concentrates the sugars in the grapes. The thick-skinned berries grow in loose bunches, making them susceptible to pests and facilitating the desirable noble rot.
As the grapes ripen, their skins thin out, which allows the sun to evaporate their moisture. This process results in a concentration of grape sugars, making the juice exceptionally sweet.
Ice Wine: Nature’s Frozen Treasure
Ice Wine—Eiswein in German—is no ordinary dessert wine. Instead of being picked at harvest, the grapes are left to freeze naturally on the vine. When pressed while frozen, the icy water stays behind, leaving only the concentrated, sugar-rich juice.
The result? A wine that’s luxuriously sweet, lusciously smooth, and utterly unforgettable. One sip and you’ll see why Ice Wine is considered one of the most magical creations in the wine world.
The Risky Art of Ice Wine
As magical as Ice Wine is, making it is no easy task! Growers must gamble with nature—waiting for the perfect frost to arrive before the grapes rot on the vine. When that frosty morning finally comes, a small army of pickers rushes to harvest the entire crop in just a few hours, while the grapes are still frozen solid. Talk about a race against time!
Because of this delicate process and limited yields, Ice Wine is often on the pricier side. But the reward is worth it: some of the world’s finest Ice Wines come from cold-hardy grapes like Riesling, Vidal Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot—each adding its own character to this rare liquid gold.
Sauternes: Liquid Gold from Bordeaux
From the prestigious Bordeaux region comes Sauternes, a dessert wine that’s pure indulgence in a glass. Crafted from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes, its opulent sweetness is the result of noble rot—a magical winemaking phenomenon that concentrates flavors to perfection.
On the nose, expect honey, apricot, and dried fruit aromas, while the palate delights with rich caramel and vanilla notes. It’s the ultimate companion for foie gras, blue cheese, or a decadent crème brûlée—turning every bite and sip into a luxurious experience.
Something simple to pair
Apple Crisp
- 6 McIntosh apples, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup flour or fine graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 stick butter
- Vanilla Ice Cream (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a 9 by 12 baking dish, combine apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. In a small bowl, mix flour or graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and butter together using the tines of a fork and your fingers, working until even, small crumbles form. Sprinkle topping evenly over apples and bake 15 to 20 minutes until apples are just tender and topping is golden brown. Top dishes of apple crisp with small scoops of vanilla ice cream.
Sauternes wine would pair nicely with the apple crisp. It is slightly woody and full-bodied as well as generous or well-balanced palate with a pleasantly sweet finish.
Moscato wine works well with cinnamon-spiced apples with a crumbly topping amplify the wine’s sweetness wonderfully.
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