Christie Kiley on December 18, 2014 1 Comment If you have any home dinner plans this season, we all know what it involves besides the actual dinners themselves; dessert. Some people still have the classics like pumpkin or apple pie. Some like pecan pie, baking various flavors and shapes of cookies, chocolate cake if you trying something less traditional, maybe a soufflé? Pumpkin ice cream? My favorite? My sister always makes this ‘pumpkin roll’. She makes a type of thin pumpkin loaf baked in a cookie sheet, spread with a cream-cheese vanilla type cheesecake filling and rolls it up. The slice always comes out as a beautiful spiral of the two together. It is delightful! It will always be my favorite and I always save a little spot for the end of the evening when everyone remains camped out at the table with some good coffee or a digest if making room for dessert. We all know what we might be making or having for dessert, but there can be so much more to explore and enjoy with or even without dessert. How about dessert wines? This list will accompany many of the classic holiday desserts and even not so classic. Enjoy! 1. Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes 2003 A list of the best dessert wines would not be complete without a Sauternes. If you are a fan of Sauternes, we all know that Chateau d’Yquem is the king. You can set aside dessert completely if you pour this and instead find some rich, creamy blue cheese, some dried fruits and you will not even be looking for the pie. 2. Doisy Daene Barsac 2011 If reaching down in your pockets for a Sauternes is not really your thing, it does not mean you cannot enjoy a bit of the good life and the best of the world’s dessert wine all together. Barsac is the other brother of Sauternes and perhaps not as complex, but just as rich and deliciously mouth-watering. Pair this dessert wine with a nice cheesecake, or perhaps a bowl of pumpkin ice cream, or simply have a blue cheese and Barsac experience. 3. Morlet Billet Doux 2009 (Late Harvest Semillon) From the other side of the pond and a bit further, this late harvest white from the Alexander Valley in Sonoma is a really nice pick for something out of the ordinary. The color of this critically-acclaimed dessert wine is a delectable gold, with aromas of dried stone fruits, juicy yellow plums and spicy vanilla compote. Serve slightly chilled with a slice of pecan pie or pour it over some vanilla ice cream! 4. Badia a Coltibuono Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice 2004 Most people may not even know what a Vin Santo even is, and if you are one of them, now is the perfect time to find out. These are the red side of holy dessert wine from Tuscany, Italy. Harvested from organically-farmed vineyards in Italy and fermented in small oak casts, this dessert wine is a divine joy amongst your palate. With aromas and flavors of plum pie, the candied orange peel my mom used to make, sweet tobacco and Christmas spice, here is no other wine more appropriate during the holiday season. Got chocolate? 5. Kracher Cuvee Beerenauslese 2011 If you love German whites as much as I do, try the Austrian side of dessert wines. Beerenauslese in laymen’s terms is late, late, late, late harvest Riesling. It is not every year you can harvest a Beerenauslese. These only come around two or three times in a decade. But when you do, it is like golden honey with essence of tropical fruits and a hint of sweet citrus perfume on the finish. If you can get your hands on this one, it’s definitely worth picking up. 6. Carole Bouquet Passito Di Pantelleria Sweet 2001 Who would have thought that Italians loved their sweet wines so much? The 2011 vintage of Carole Bouquet Passito Di Pantelleria Sweet is a prime example of the savory side of dessert wines. With aromas of Earl Grey tea, passion fruit, and peach pie, this wine has a perfect softness and persistence on the palate. It is soft and supple and seductive. Did I cover all the ‘s’s there? The lingering finish is enough to build a memory on. 7. Ramos Pinto 20 Year Tawny Quinta do Bom Retiro This list of dessert wines would not be complete without the first Sauterne wine, but neither would it without a Port or two. Try the Tawny, toasty, caramel side of Port. In your glass it is a beautiful warm and inviting red with bright terracotta hues. This is a perfect wine to go with pumpkin pie or my sister’s pumpkin roll with its nutty aromas, cocoa, fig, orange zest, Christmas spices, toffee and more. The flavor is just as complex with generous mouthfeel and a subtle elegance. 8. Quinta do Noval Vintage Port Nacional 2004 One more Port, a Vintage Port, I do recommend decanting this a couple hours before dessert. Have it decanting while you’re having your main dinner. Once you’re done with dinner, this fortified port wine will be ready to enjoy with dessert. It may be wise to also have a cheese platter ready, as well. The aromas of this dessert wine will open up into dark blackberry preserves, caramelized fennel and fresh black mission fig. The flavors are big and bold and rich enough to warm your belly and soul. I’d recommend enjoying this one with a slice of warm chocolate cake. 9. Emilio Lustau East India Solera Again, the holiday season may not be complete without a Sherry! You really have a lot to work on in terms of tasting all the dessert wines on this list. I apologize it involves tempting and teasing your palate, but all you have to do is sip and enjoy. The deep toasty brown East India Sherry offers up a cornucopia of nuances from toasted nuts to crème brulee topping to chocolate and citrus zest and rum raisin and … It just makes your mouth water and all the flavors seemed to be offered one by one. 10. Dearest Late Harvest Chardonnay 2010 I think we have covered most of the Old World dessert wines and it would only be fair to offer another from the New World, this being from California, a late harvest Chardonnay. You might have never thought that you could get so much awesomeness from a Chardonnay grapes picked late into the growing season and beyond. It is creamy butterscotch candy with candied apple, sexy tropical fruit, caramel, honeycomb, crunchy ginger cookies and more. A beautiful wine to pair with a lovely pear tart or even a cutting board of the best Gorgonzola, chunks of dark chocolate and even white chocolate. Put those feet up why don’t you? Do you have a favorite Dessert wine? If so, please discuss it in the comments below. Learn More: 8 Wines That Are Perfect For Your Holiday Party 5 Common Wine Flaws (and How to Detect Them) How to Choose the Best Wine For Your Christmas Dinner 10 Surprising Ingredients You Probably Didn’t Know Were in Your Wine
Susan Whipple says December 7, 2015 at 3:36 pm Nothing says dessert wines better than a lovely Sauternes! (Although I usually drink my Sauternes with foie gras.)That being said, the Doisy Daëne Barsac, both ports, and the Austrian Beerenauslese are perfectly divine , too! I love creamy blue cheese with dried fruits and these wines. I must look for the late harvest Sémillion, Vin Santos and Passitos as they sounds intriguing and decadent. Your descriptors did make my mouth water…and I do not typically eat much dessert…even at Christmas. Reply
