One of the greatest mistakes that everyone makes is their choice of wine that complements dessert. Some of the best restaurants in town fail in this mission, so it comes as no surprise that we do at home when hosting a dinner party.
Dessert wine with its naturally high residual sugar and low acidity is hard to pair with food unless you apply the golden rule. Always have a dessert that is matched with the same, if not slightly more, sweetness as the wine available.
What this does is enable the acid of the wine to shine through and give the wine better balance and really show off the fruit rather than just the sugar.
This is pretty hard when at home because unless you know the dessert you are making and wine you are drinking it is hard to get right and do justice to both. At a restaurant you will be guided by the Sommelier. This person should know the wine list inside out and what is best matched with what on the menu, thus improving the diners experience.
Most often than not this doesn’t happen because of the lack of importance placed on this concept, but when you pay for expensive main courses you should also expect great service.
Just ask the waiter to advise you or get them to send the Sommelier over and get them to advise you. Take it from me you, will have a much better appreciation of both food and wine if paired correctly.
Tags: Dessert wine, Jayson Bryant, The Wine Vault
