Wine is usually paired with savory items. When you go to a restaurant and they offer wine pairings, more often than not these pairings only extend to the appetizers and entrees – not to dessert, which is paired with only coffee more often than not. I love coffee, but I am also a fan of wine, and wine – believe it or not – can actually be an excellent match for dessert. Wines are complex and packed with flavors that can be highlighted by the food we eat, including dessert. One way to put together wine pairings is to experiment with whatever wine you have and see what tastes good. It’s not a good pairing if you don’t like it – no matter what any “rules” about wine pairing say. That said, since you have to start somewhere, I’m going to offer up a couple of simple rules that should give you a few guidelines for starting out: 1. Start with the description of the wine. Wines always have some words describing them, such as “fruity”, “tart”, “with blackberry notes,” or “reminiscent of green apples.”

You may or may not detect these particular flavors, but they often reveal what foods might compliment the wine. Pairing a dessert that features one of the described flavors can often draw it out in the wine. A grassy, citrusy sauvignon blanc might go very well with a lemon cake, for instance. 2. Wines often pair with like colors. In the same vein as rule number one, red wines often contain lots of red fruit flavors, so it is no surprise that many of them go well with red fruits. A juicy merlot can actually complement a strawberry shortcake packed with fresh berries. White wines don’t usually evoke berry flavors, so citrus, apples, tropical fruits and other desserts can be better matches. 3. Oaky wines go with simple desserts. A typical California Chardonnay is a wine that has a lot of oak in it. Oaky wines have a very strong flavor that can be a little difficult to work with. Surprisingly, they actually pair well with simpler desserts that don’t have a lot of competing flavors.

Oak is described as imparting lots of vanilla, toffee, butterscotch and caramel – and when those flavors are the primary ones in a dessert, that dish can actually stand up to a flavorful oaky wine.best treatment for red wine stain 4. Chocolate desserts often do better than chocolate bars. dry wine red or whiteMany red wines are described as having chocolate notes, but I think that straight chocolate can be a little difficult to pair with wine. best port wine priceDark chocolates can have a flavor that is almost too intense for the wine. pictures of wine rosesMilk chocolates can be too sweet. best italian box wine

Chocolate desserts – from rich flourless chocolate cake to classic chocolate chip cookies – fare much better with wine. top 10 red wine in indiaIn these desserts, the chocolate is already balanced out with other ingredients and just seems to play well with wine better. 5. Wine doesn’t have to be sweet to go with dessert. A dessert wine is a sweet wine, and while it can be an outstanding accompaniment for dessert (ESPECIALLY for a salty-sweet dessert), it isn’t the only thing you should consider pairing. The existence of salty-sweet desserts just goes to show you that some contrast can be a good thing and a dry wine might mellow the sweetness of a caramel-topped dessert, just as a more tannic red can cut the richness of a dark, buttery chocolate one. These are not hard and fast rules, by any means, but at least it should help narrow down the choices the next time you’re looking for a couple of bottles to bring to a dinner party.

And it will give you a few more options than just serving coffee after dinner next time.No category of wine is as indulgent and yet as overlooked as dessert wine. Like a good piece of cake, it should be sweet without being saccharine. California wineries make a diverse array of after-dinner drinkers, inspired by Old World classics from Port to Sauternes. Here are our 10 homegrown favorites as well as sweets for pairing. Dolce, Napa Valley Late Harvest Wine 2010 (Napa Valley)Far Niente's Dolce is Napa Valley's answer to Bordeaux's famed dessert wine appellation Sauternes. Meticulously crafted, Dolce is a seamless, hedonistic experience for the drinker. Flavors of stone fruit, mostly apricot and peach, mingle with honeysuckle and the caramel character promised by the aroma. This wine is concentrated with fruit flavors but its youthful expression is expected to develop inviting bakery aromas over time—warm brioche and crème brûlée descriptors are becoming evident already. // $(Courtesy of Navarro Wine)Navarro, Cluster Select, Late Harvest Riesling 2015 (Anderson Valley) Coming from Mendocino's Anderson Valley, Navarro's Cluster Select riesling is drop-dead gorgeous.

With flavors of green apple and peach, the crisp acidity keeps the wine bright and invigorating and perfectly complement a lighter fare. For a wine of this complexity, it's also a complete steal. // $(Courtesy of Frank Family Vineyard)Frank Family, Late Harvest Chardonnay (Napa Valley) Chardonnay is a crazy versatile grape—the foundation of the most delicate Champagnes, steely Chablis, and sumptuous California offerings. We don't often see chardonnay in its sweet form, but Frank Family does a fabulous job with their late harvest version. Decadent and languorous, the wine oozes with flavors of apple crisp, apricot jam, and pie crust. Pair with buttery desserts, bananas foster, or vanilla custard. // $Wines from Grgich HillsPhoto from the Napa Wine ProjectGrgich Hills, Violetta, Late Harvest 2013 (Napa Valley) Named for the daughter of famed Napa vintner Miljenko Grgich, Violetta is a beautifully honeyed wine with a light and sensual viscosity. A field blend of riesling, sauvignon blanc and gewürztraminer, it has the rich aromas of ripe pear, Mandarin orange and honeysuckle.

Pair with a fruit tart, creme brulee, rich cheeses, or serve it all by itself to end a special meal. // $Martinelli Jackass Hill Muscat of Alexandria 2013 (Russian River Valley) Martinelli Jackass Hill Vineyard is the source of one of the most sought-after zinfandels in the world. Interestingly, individual muscat plantings are scattered among the old vine zin. They yield a breathtakingly perfumed muscat, with fragrance of gardenia, dried lemon peel and honeysuckle and flavors of apricot, pineapple, and firm peach. Pair with peach cobbler or soft, lightly sweet cheeses like mascarpone. // $Quady, Elysium 2015 (California) In California's Central Valley, Quady specializes in all things dessert, producing a broad portfolio of wines, including muscats, sherry, and Port-style bottlings. Elysium is a black muscat, also known as muscat of Hamburg, one of the few red varieties in the muscat family of grapes. It is a great example of how a dessert wine can conjure not-so-sweet flavors: It attains a rose-like aroma with litchi and dark berry-like flavor.

Pairs great with vanilla, dark chocolate, blue cheeses, and candlelight. // $Stony Hill, Semillon de Soleil 2014 (Napa Valley) Stony Hill's Semillon de Soleil is a voluptuous and sticky late harvest Semillon with subtle dried floral notes and caramel on the nose and a dried apricot flavor on the palate. Pairs perfectly with apricot cheesecake with caramel sauce. // $Foxen, Barberena Vineyard Mission 2013 (Santa Maria Valley) To sip Foxen's Barberena Vineyard Mission is to experience a bit of California history. Planted by Spanish missionaries across the state in the 18th Century, the mission grape was used to make a fortified, sweet wine called Angelica. Foxen's own fortified mission demonstrates an attractive freshness for a wine of this style. Not heavy or overwrought, the wine tastes of ripe blueberries, cranberries, and rose petals. It's a good option for those who want to enjoy a fortified wine on a hot day. Pair with fresh berries and whipped cream. // $Somerston, Everest Fortified Red Wine 2009 (Napa Valley) Somerston's Everest serves as testament to the power of using Portuguese grapes in Port-style wines.