6 Wine and Dessert Pairing Ideas
Satisfy your sweet tooth with wine and chocolate pairings, plus more great wine matches for dessert.
Wine and dessert make a classic pair. Wine and chocolate is practically a necessity on Valentine’s Day and other romantic occasions. However, many common theories about pairing wine and dessert are incorrect. Dry red wine and chocolate are actually not a good match! The bitterness of the red wine brings out the bitterness of the chocolate, making both taste a little gross.
A better choice? A nice vintage port is an exceptional pairing that makes everything taste like heaven. Its sweetness is perfect for the chocolate, and it brings out the dessert’s fruity flavors.
Many of these dessert wines are aged for long periods of time, or they are made from very sweet overripe grapes, so they contain unique flavors. Delicious notes of dried fruits, toffee, caramel, candied citrus, and spice are just some of the incredible flavors you'll find in these dessert wines.
6 Wine and Dessert Pairing Ideas will have you looking forward to dessert even more than usual. A variety of sweet wines will pair well with all of your favorite desserts, from chocolate truffles to apple pie. The next time that you’re in the mood for a special evening, you’ll know exactly what wine and dessert to pick up.
Delicious Wine and Dessert Pairings
Chocolate Caramel Tart + Amontillado Sherry
The sweet-and-salty flavor of chocolate and caramel provide a great opportunity for a wine pairing. This dessert is sweet, buttery, and a little salty, making it perfect for the nutty flavors of Amontillado Sherry. You could also pair it with other similarly sweet wines, like Madeira or aged tawny Port.
Grandma’s Apple Pie + Ice Wine
Sweet, tart, and fruity, apple pie calls for a wine that is similarly sweet and vibrant. Ice wine is made from grapes that have been left on the vine after frost, resulting in a wine that is wonderfully sweet and acidic. This dessert wine is perfect for fruit pies and tarts, because it plays off of the sweet-tart flavor of the fruit. Other late harvest white wines or Sauternes would also be great here.
Try the Margerum Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2014 with a dessert like this.
Double Chocolate Layer Cake + Vintage Port
This bold chocolate and wine pairing is one you’ll always remember. Your favorite, mouthwateringly good double chocolate cake will pair best with an intensely sweet and complex wine. Vintage Port is sweet, flavorful, and shows complementary flavors of cinnamon, raspberry, and blackberry.
Try a bottle of this Graham's Vintage Port 1997 with your favorite chocolate cake.
Biscotti + Moscato d’Asti
This is a classic wine and dessert pairing that everyone should know about. The crisp and buttery biscotti cookies are perfect with the light fruit flavor of Moscato. Take an extra special afternoon break with this combination soon.
This Castello del Poggio Moscato d'Asti 2014 is delicious with crisp biscotti cookies.
Plain Cheesecake + Sweet Riesling
A dessert as delectable as cheesecake deserves a wine that is equally scrumptious. Pair cheesecake with a sweet Riesling, as it will stand up to the richness of the dessert without weighing it down. Both of these items are also easy to find and affordable, which is a bonus.
Try this Dr. Loosen Dr. L Riesling 2014 with a slice of your favorite cheesecake.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies + Madeira
Sometimes I feel like a nut… but I’ll never turn down a peanut butter dessert. The nuttiness in peanut butter desserts is a great match for nutty, sweet wines like Madeira. Amontillado Sherry would also make a great choice for the same reasons.
I recommend this Blandy's 10 Year Old Malmsey Madeira. It has flavors of toffee, dried fruits, and sweet spice.
What is your favorite wine and dessert pairing?