Dessert wine is one of the treasures of the wine world. It is typically sweet and available in many different varieties, there are subtle and complex ways to pair a bottle perfectly.
Dessert wine is a synonym for sweet wine, in many cases it is meant to be drunk with dessert. However this is not always true, some sweet wines are truly versatile and make great pairings with a full meal. To figure out how to pair a wine successfully some general guidelines should be followed. The most successful pairings are ones where the wine and the food compliment each other with their richness and texture. Contrasting flavor pairings also work but are more difficult to achieve. The rules take into consideration the type of food being served, including its flavor, texture, acidity, sweetness, saltiness and bitterness. Below are some guidelines for pairing wine based on these flavor aspects.
Fat:
Fatty foods include a good cut of steak, a buttery dessert, or anything else that has a noticeable fat content. One general rule to remember is that you need to balance out the flavor of the fat with acid or tannin, or to match its richness with alcohol. So when pairing a steak for example, a wine that is higher in acidity or residual tannins works well. That's why you often see steak paired with a Cabernet based wine, its residual tannins balance out the fat content and create a unifying flavor palate. For dessert wines, think of a Cabernet franc ice wine or a richly acidic Tokaji as good examples.
Acid:
Acid adds nerve, freshness and lift to a wine and can do the same for food. Imagine a lemon squeezed on to a fresh piece of fish or an oyster. So when pairing a wine with food that is high in acidity, the general rule is to find a wine that has an acid content that is at least equal to that of the food. Wines that have a lower acidity will taste bland and washed out. Sauvignon blanc or Semillon are good wines to pair with acid rich food. As a dessert wine, think of a French sauterne made with a Semillon grape or a refreshing ice wine made with Riesling or Vidal Blanc.
Salt:
Salty foods can be difficult to pair, however they go remarkably well with sweet wines. A perfect example is a French Sauterne wine paired with blue cheese. The reason that sweet wines generally go well with salty food is because of their flavors contrast. When pairing wine with food the flavors must either compliment or contrast to each other. With salty food and sweet wine, the contrast creates a truly interesting experience.
Sweetness:
Wine should generally be sweeter than the dessert it is paired with, otherwise the dessert will cause the wine to taste bitter or tart. This is an instance where it is important that the food and wine compliment each other as contrasting flavors would not work here.
Bitterness:
Wine that is produced from rotted grapes (an essential ingredient in most sweet wines) it can sometimes taste bitter. This type of wine should be paired with bitter food, the flavors do not cancel each other out, they combine instead and become stronger.
Texture:
A general rule of thumb is that lighter wines need to be paired with lighter foods and heavier wines need to be paired with heavier food. If you instead do the opposite by matching lighter wines to heavier food or vice versa more often than not the combination will not work well. The times when a contrasting pairing will work is truly a matter of experimentation and most likely not one that will succeed. The important thing to remember if you are going to attempt to contrast is to make sure that the flavor of the wine is never overtaken by that of the food. A lighter wine should never be drowned out in a heavier food.
Types of Sweet Wine:
Sweet wine comes in many varieties, and is manufactured across the globe. Some sweet wines have an extremely low alcohol content because of the fact that fermentation was stopped early in order to maintain sweetness. Other times the wine is fortified with grape spirit and therefore has a higher than average alcohol content. Below is my list of various types of dessert wines found on the market today.
Sauternes:
These are very complex and greatly acidic sweet wines manufactured in the Bordeaux region of France. They taste very sweet and taste of honey and exotic fruit. They pair well with dishes that are creamy (such as cheese or butter), salty and briny (seafood) or fruity (a fruit tart).
Tokaj:
A famous Hungarian dessert once proclaimed to be the King of Wines by Louis XIV of France. They are produced in the Tokaji region of Hungary and Slovakia. Made with rotted grapes they pair well with strong cheeses, foie grass, fruity desserts. or even chocolate, cinnamon and toffee. A very similar pairing to a Sauterne wine.
Ice Wine:
Ice wine is a newcomer to the wine scene, only having been produced in the past few decades and only in Canada, Germany and the United States. Ice wines are sweet and incredibly refreshing and crisp. They go great with strong cheeses, seafood (especially oysters) and fruit based desserts. However they are resilient and can go very well with Asian dishes and acidic flavors.
Sherry:
Sherry is a fortified wine from the Andalusia region of Spain and comes in both sweet and dry varieties. Sweet Sherry pairs very well with red meats (especially game meat or duck), cheese, and fruity desserts. It also goes extremely well with rich nutty flavors or toffee, chocolate or caramel.
I know that pairing wine can sometimes seem like a science but in reality it really isn't very complicated. Just remember that complimentary flavors are easy to pair, that food should not be sweeter than wine and that the acidity needs to also be balanced between the food and the wine. All else is experimentation and can be great fun to do.
I hope you enjoy your adventures in wine pairing.
Dessert wine is a synonym for sweet wine, in many cases it is meant to be drunk with dessert. However this is not always true, some sweet wines are truly versatile and make great pairings with a full meal. To figure out how to pair a wine successfully some general guidelines should be followed. The most successful pairings are ones where the wine and the food compliment each other with their richness and texture. Contrasting flavor pairings also work but are more difficult to achieve. The rules take into consideration the type of food being served, including its flavor, texture, acidity, sweetness, saltiness and bitterness. Below are some guidelines for pairing wine based on these flavor aspects.
Fat:
Fatty foods include a good cut of steak, a buttery dessert, or anything else that has a noticeable fat content. One general rule to remember is that you need to balance out the flavor of the fat with acid or tannin, or to match its richness with alcohol. So when pairing a steak for example, a wine that is higher in acidity or residual tannins works well. That's why you often see steak paired with a Cabernet based wine, its residual tannins balance out the fat content and create a unifying flavor palate. For dessert wines, think of a Cabernet franc ice wine or a richly acidic Tokaji as good examples.
Acid:
Acid adds nerve, freshness and lift to a wine and can do the same for food. Imagine a lemon squeezed on to a fresh piece of fish or an oyster. So when pairing a wine with food that is high in acidity, the general rule is to find a wine that has an acid content that is at least equal to that of the food. Wines that have a lower acidity will taste bland and washed out. Sauvignon blanc or Semillon are good wines to pair with acid rich food. As a dessert wine, think of a French sauterne made with a Semillon grape or a refreshing ice wine made with Riesling or Vidal Blanc.
Salt:
Salty foods can be difficult to pair, however they go remarkably well with sweet wines. A perfect example is a French Sauterne wine paired with blue cheese. The reason that sweet wines generally go well with salty food is because of their flavors contrast. When pairing wine with food the flavors must either compliment or contrast to each other. With salty food and sweet wine, the contrast creates a truly interesting experience.
Sweetness:
Wine should generally be sweeter than the dessert it is paired with, otherwise the dessert will cause the wine to taste bitter or tart. This is an instance where it is important that the food and wine compliment each other as contrasting flavors would not work here.
Bitterness:
Wine that is produced from rotted grapes (an essential ingredient in most sweet wines) it can sometimes taste bitter. This type of wine should be paired with bitter food, the flavors do not cancel each other out, they combine instead and become stronger.
Texture:
A general rule of thumb is that lighter wines need to be paired with lighter foods and heavier wines need to be paired with heavier food. If you instead do the opposite by matching lighter wines to heavier food or vice versa more often than not the combination will not work well. The times when a contrasting pairing will work is truly a matter of experimentation and most likely not one that will succeed. The important thing to remember if you are going to attempt to contrast is to make sure that the flavor of the wine is never overtaken by that of the food. A lighter wine should never be drowned out in a heavier food.
Types of Sweet Wine:
Sweet wine comes in many varieties, and is manufactured across the globe. Some sweet wines have an extremely low alcohol content because of the fact that fermentation was stopped early in order to maintain sweetness. Other times the wine is fortified with grape spirit and therefore has a higher than average alcohol content. Below is my list of various types of dessert wines found on the market today.
Sauternes:
These are very complex and greatly acidic sweet wines manufactured in the Bordeaux region of France. They taste very sweet and taste of honey and exotic fruit. They pair well with dishes that are creamy (such as cheese or butter), salty and briny (seafood) or fruity (a fruit tart).
Tokaj:
A famous Hungarian dessert once proclaimed to be the King of Wines by Louis XIV of France. They are produced in the Tokaji region of Hungary and Slovakia. Made with rotted grapes they pair well with strong cheeses, foie grass, fruity desserts. or even chocolate, cinnamon and toffee. A very similar pairing to a Sauterne wine.
Ice Wine:
Ice wine is a newcomer to the wine scene, only having been produced in the past few decades and only in Canada, Germany and the United States. Ice wines are sweet and incredibly refreshing and crisp. They go great with strong cheeses, seafood (especially oysters) and fruit based desserts. However they are resilient and can go very well with Asian dishes and acidic flavors.
Sherry:
Sherry is a fortified wine from the Andalusia region of Spain and comes in both sweet and dry varieties. Sweet Sherry pairs very well with red meats (especially game meat or duck), cheese, and fruity desserts. It also goes extremely well with rich nutty flavors or toffee, chocolate or caramel.
I know that pairing wine can sometimes seem like a science but in reality it really isn't very complicated. Just remember that complimentary flavors are easy to pair, that food should not be sweeter than wine and that the acidity needs to also be balanced between the food and the wine. All else is experimentation and can be great fun to do.
I hope you enjoy your adventures in wine pairing.
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