The key to successful wine and food pairings is to think of wine as an ingredient. It provides the additional. Wine changes flavours, giving them a completely different profile. Desserts are the same. Making the ideal wine and dessert match can actually be a fantastic way to cap off a special evening.
Strawberry shortcake & Viognier
Creamy and soft-tasting desserts like strawberry shortcakes, cheesecakes and tiramisus ask for a crispier wine, to slice right through the cream flavour while complimenting the desserts sweet aroma. The right wine could be 2020’s Grace Viognier, with notes of fruit such as apricot and some floral notes such as acacia, that will balance perfectly with the creaminess and sweetness of the dessert.
Buy wine here: Grace Viognier 2020
White chocolate & Castelão
White chocolate tends to be more mellow and buttery in flavour, making it an ideal candidate for the sweeter and full-bodied wine styles. Another route, for pairing wine with white chocolate is opting for contrast. While a little riskier, when the tasting contrast works well the match is unforgettable. For example, taking the higher alcohol and full-bodied, intense forward fruit of a Castelão and partnering it with the mild textures and buttery profile of white chocolate can have an unusual “melding” effect. The wine’s tannin content softens under the chocolate’s fat profile and pops the fruit and floral notes right to the surface.
Buy wine here: Dialog Castelão 2019
Lemon bars & Cabernet Sauvignon
Lemon bars are a delicious and refreshing dessert, and they can be enjoyed with a variety of different wines. Choosing a red, particularly one with a distinct acidity, is often more difficult than selecting one with the other. However, because red wine is a less sweet wine, it can be used to complement your dessert rather than overpower it (like it is the case of white wines, in which they contrast with the dessert).
The lemon bar’s shortbread crust and tang of lemon ask for a complimenting red wine. The slight notes of anis seed, red fruits and green peppers found in Dialog 2014 will harmonize with the lemon’s zestiness and freshness, balancing the flavours in a perfect symphony.
Buy wine here: Dialog Red 2014
Chocolate mousse & Touriga Franca
Alcoholic sweet wines and berry wines go well with chocolate mousse because of its creamy textures and bittersweet flavour. The sharpness of the chocolate is well balanced by the sweetness of the wines, resulting in perfect harmony between their contrasting flavours.
Rich, dark treats like chocolate mousse pair beautifully with Touriga Franca. The fruity red wine with hints of spices has certain distinctive characteristics that go well with the dessert. A chocolate wine with a mild taste to offset the bitterness would also be a fantastic option. The mousse will go very well with fortified reds, such as a sweet Madeira or a Maury with a plum flavour.
Buy wine here: Grace Touriga Franca 2017
Apple pie & Touriga Nacional Licoroso
Apple Pie pairs best with sweeter wines like Marsala, Tawny Port or a Licoroso wine. When pairing wine with dessert like apple pie, the wine must always be sweeter than the dessert, or else the sweetness of the apple pie will wipe out the flavours of the wine. Apple pie is not too sweet, allowing it to pair with a wide variety of dessert wines.
You’re in for a treat if you pair your apple pie with Touriga Nacional Licoroso – a well balanced wine with soft tannins, with complex aromas of dried fruits like raisins and figs and a long, persistent finish.
Buy wine here: Touriga Nacional Licoroso
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