How to Choose a Dessert Wine
Choosing a dessert wine relies heavily on the palette of those drinking it and the pairings you plan on serving with it. Dessert wines tend to be sweeter in taste than that of typical reds and whites. A dessert wine may be made primarily from grapes, from a combination of grapes with other fruits or from other fruits besides grapes entirely, such as apricots and peaches. Many wine vendors and even some wine bottle labels can suggest appropriate pairings for dessert wines, which can help guide your selection. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Plan the dessert you are going to serve with the wine, as this can help guide your choice of dessert wine. For example, a raspberry cake will pair with different wines than a chocolate souffle.
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Prepare a tasting of several varieties of dessert wines, such as ports and ice wines, as well as some unconventional dessert wines, such as a peach wine or a raspberry wine.
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Create a small portion of the dessert you plan to serve with the wine to test the taste of the wine with the taste of the dessert. The wine should enhance the flavors of the dessert, not overpower it.
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Invite a few friends to join your tasting to collect multiple opinions.
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Sample the wines along with bites of the dessert. Choose one that complements the other, for example, a tawny port wine has a hint of nut that will work well with a chocolate dessert.
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Weigh out your own evaluations and the opinions of friends to select the best pairing for your dessert.
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References
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