Dessert Wine Pairings

Ahh, the holidays. A time when we're not afraid to loosen our belts a couple notches and allow ourselves to indulge a little more than we normally would the rest of the year. With all the tempting cookies, cakes and other sweet desserts filling our tables, how could we not? Here's a guide to what wines to serve with the desserts on your holiday table.

A couple basic rules on dessert pairings: You should never serve a dessert food that's sweeter than the wine you plan to serve it with. For example, don't serve a light Riesling with a rich, dark chocolate lava cake - much like a Chardonnay with a barbecued steak, the flavors will clash. Also, if you're serving a large, lavish dinner, and the meal with a lighter wine, as opposed to a heavy, super-sweet full-bodied wine.

A good rule of thumb according to some wine experts is that as the color of the desserts get darker, so do the wines.

Rieslings and Sparkling Wines: Work well with vanilla flavors, and custard-filled pastries. The wine will play off the buttery flavors in the pastry.

Sauternes: Tend to go well with light fruity desserts that include peaches or apples. Also, if you're serving a sauterne you may want to skip the sweets entirely and choose instead to lay out some cheese. Sauternes and Roquefort cheese are a match made in heaven. Try other blue-veined cheese like Stilton or Gorgonzola.

Moscato or Muscat: Wines are made to be drank with fruity desserts. Also pair them with a sweet Mascarpone Cheese.

Madeira: Is another wine that would be well-suited to a nice plate of cheese. Also working with the blue-veined cheeses, Gruyere's nutty characteristics will work wonderfully with Madeira. You may also try serving Madeira with a nut-based dessert.

Ports: A classic pair, a nice port compliments chocolate fantastically. Both sweet and rich, they'll dance in your mouth. Any dessert with nuts will also go great with port, which tends to have a has a nutty flavor on its own. Walnuts work especially well because they are tannic, and the sweetness of the port will counteract that.

Ice Wine: I've read Ice Wine referred to as "a dessert in itself," so pour a glass of this and enjoy it for the rich treat it is!