Dessert Wines

Like savoury dishes, desserts vary dramatically in flavour, texture, structure and spiciness and different desserts respond to particular wines. The unifying factor in all desserts is sugar, and it is important to remember when pairing wine with dessert that the wine should have a sweetness that withstands the sugar in the dish. Therefore, the sweeter the dessert, the sweeter the wine. We need to consider in this equation the array of dessert wines available — rich-tasting botrytis semillons (‘Sauternes’ in France); fruitier, more youthful, lighter-style and fresher-tasting botrytis rieslings; noble muscats; liqueur tokays and muscats made from fortified stock; light sparkling shiraz; and Champagne and Australian sparkling wines. At Paramount we match each dessert on the menu with a specific wine, so we taste various wines with each dish-just as we do for the rest of the menu-to determine which combination works the best on the palate. I can only suggest you do the same-it’s a most rewarding exercise in which to indulge!