Mastering How to Pair Your Favorite Desserts with Wine: A Brief Guide On Acing This Challenge

There is probably an ideal wine for every type of dessert you can think of. Keep reading to learn more and find out which dessert to pair with which one in your next house party.

Wine enthusiasts understand that different varieties can elevate a meal. Whether it's lunch or dinner, pasta, roast, or even Indian cuisine, there are various types of fruity, floral, tangy, and woody wines for every culinary experience. This beverage has the ability to enhance and elevate the meal, adding another layer of depth to the flavors.

While wine is commonly associated with the main course, it is also extensively paired with desserts.No matter what type of dessert you're enjoying at a restaurant or serving at home, there is likely a wine that will complement it. For instance, fresh strawberries complement the bubbly and tart profile of Champagne. A creamy dessert can be paired with a dry white wine to balance out the richness with acidity.

Here is a brief guide to pairing wines across five main categories of desserts: chocolate-based, fruit-based, nut-forward, sweet and sticky, and dairy-heavy.

Chocolate

Pairing chocolate with wine can be challenging. When opting for a dark chocolate dessert, finding a wine that complements its bitterness and tannic (astringent) taste can be tricky. Typically, red wines (like Pinot Noir and Merlot) serve as the best companions for chocolate desserts, whereas white wines (like Riesling) pair well with white chocolate due to its milder and sweeter profile. Combining dark chocolate with white wine may result in a dry mouth sensation.

Dark Chocolate Pudding with Red Wine

Ingredients:

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
• 2-3 tbsp cornstarch
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 2 ½ cups milk
• ½ cup dark chocolate
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Whipped cream as topping (optional)

Instructions:

• First make a cocoa powder and cornstarch slurry with a little milk. Set aside.
• Heat the remaining milk in a saucepan and add the sugar and vanilla to it. Make sure that the sugar is completely dissolved without boiling the milk.
• Keep the saucepan on low heat and whisk in the cocoa powder and cornstarch slurry.
• Keep mixing and incorporate the chocolate.
• Eventually the milk will start to thicken and darken.
• If there are still lumps, you can either blend the pudding or sieve it.
• Pour the pudding into ramekins or small dessert bowls.
• Chill in the fridge and serve with your favorite red wine.

Fruit

As mentioned earlier, strawberries complement champagne well. A similarly bubbly and relatively economical option is Prosecco or sparkling wine. Berry and lemon pies, tarts, galettes, and parfaits can be elevated when paired with the right type of white wine, such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. White wines and their sparkling counterparts are available in dry and sweet varieties, providing you with the flexibility to choose what you fancy the best. Whites are also usually served chilled, making them a refreshing and zingy palate cleanser between bites. The goal here is to achieve harmony and prevent either the wine or the dessert from overshadowing the other.

Four Ingredient White Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

• 1 ⅕ cup finely chopped white chocolate
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Topping options: desiccated coconut or grated white chocolate

Instructions:

• Melt the chocolate, cream, and butter in a saucepan on low heat. You can also use the microwave.
• After the cream mix is sufficiently warm, stir in the vanilla extract.
• Transfer this mix into a silicone ice tray and chill for at least 4 hours..
• You’ll be able to pop these truffles out easily from the silicon mold.
• You can then roll them in coconut or white chocolate.

Nuts

Because nuts offer a balance of bitterness and creaminess, white wines complement them wonderfully. Sweet white wines like Sherry, Sauternes, Late Harvest Riesling, and Moscato, featuring a touch of acidity, provide a delightful contrast to the richness of nut-based desserts. However, Port can serve as an excellent pairing because it's fuller-bodied, making it suitable for desserts featuring nuts and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and dried ginger.

Nutty Nougat

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pistachios
• ½ cup chopped almonds
• 6 tbsp honey
• 1 cup of white sugar
• 4 tbsp water
• A pinch of salt
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 300 F.
• Spread the whole and chopped nuts on a baking tray and roast for about 10-20 minutes.
• Alternatively, you can dry roast the nuts on the stove too.
• Heat the honey, sugar and water until caramelized. Don’t stir otherwise the caramel will seize.
• In the meantime, whisk the egg whites with some salt till you get stiff peaks.
• Then add the warm syrup into this gradually and keep whipping.
• Fold in the roasted nuts and vanilla extract.
• Pour this in a parchment lined baking tray and even it out with a spatula.
• Leave the nougat to cool at room temperature.
• Using a serrated knife, cut the nougat into squares and serve with a glass of Muscato.

Dairy and Toffee Desserts

With dairy-based desserts you should look for white wines that have crisp and buttery notes. With sweets that are packed with caramel, toffee or honey, you’d want something muted to cut through the sweetness. Something like kala jamun that combines the best of dairy and caramel, will pair really well with a Late Harvest Chenin Blanc.

Kala Jamun with Chenin Blanc

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk powder
• ¼ cup maida
• ¼ cup blended paneer
• 1/7 tsp baking soda
• ½ cup cream
• Oil
• 1 ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• ½ cardamom powder
• ½ tsp rose water (optional)
• 2 tbsp chopped pistachios
• 1-2 tsp milk

Instructions:

• Take the blended paneer and mix in the milk, maida, and baking soda.
• Add cream to this and you will soon have a sticky dough.
• Place it in an oiled container, cover and set aside to rest.
• In the meantime, create the sugar syrup and mix in the cardamom and rose water.
• You can leave it on the flame to thicken slightly.
• In another bowl, put the pistachios, milk and take a small handful of the gulab jamun dough to create the filling.
• Start rolling out the gulab jamuns in oblong or round shapes and stuff this filling inside.
• Ensure that the stuffing is snugly inside the kala jamuns jamun so it doesn’t spill out when you fry.
• Additionally, you can also roll them in powdered sugar.
• Heat oil in a kadai and fry all your kala jamuns.
• Fry them till they take on a dark hue and immediately dunk them in the sugar syrup.
• Let them soak in the syrup for about a couple of hours. Serve cold with a chilled glass of Chenin Blanc.