Dessert Categories 295
sensual, and captivating. Floc is produced using a combination of fresh grape juice and strong
young Armagnac. It can be made with red or white grapes and has appealing young and
fruity flavors.
The family of fortified wines can either be very expensive or provide some of the best
values in the wine market. They range widely in color, intensity, flavor, and sweetness levels.
Fortified dessert wines that are sweet, strongly flavored, and high in alcohol are intended to
be served in smaller portions than table wines for sipping after the meal or with cheeses and
desserts. Many higher-alcohol fortified wines such as Ruby Port, Tawny Port, Floc, and
Oloroso and Cream Sherries can be kept for several days or even weeks without deteriora-
tion. Fino Sherries, Vintage Ports, and Muscats are more delicate and should be consumed
shortly after opening to minimize any loss in quality.
Floc, Olorosos, Cream Sherries, Marsala, Madeira, and Ports are generally served at
a cool room temperature. Fino Sherries and fortified Muscats are served chilled. Fortified
wines are often served in small cordial glasses, but during the ceremony of contemplative
sipping, they are best served in small wine or regular wineglasses so their aromas can be
appreciated.
DESSERT SELECTION AND WINE PAIRING
Individual preferences for sweets vary from person to person and among cultures. For
example, I have a sweet tooth and don’t see a problem serving sweet desserts and sweet
dessert wines together. However, in planning a dessert course, you must use care to ensure
that the majority of your guests enjoy the combination you have selected.
Many sweet foods can be as high as one-fourth sugar, whereas dessert wines rarely
have more than 10–15 percent sugar content. This situation requires that care be taken to
avoid a mismatch in sugar content—remember the rule of thumb that foods are better
matched with wines when food sweetness level is less than or equal to wine sweetness level.
I vividly remember a case where I did not follow this rule and paid the price. I had a bottle
of Muscat Cannelli (a moderately sweet wine) and served it with ice cream and a chocolate
dessert. It was a disaster—the dessert was way too sweet and rich for the wine and ended
up making the wine taste thin, bitter, and acidic.
Fruit-based and moderately sweet desserts are the best matches for the spectrum of
dessert wines. The following sections classify desserts into five categories and provide sug-
gestions for dessert wines to try within each category. Of course, many other options are
possible, and you are encouraged to experiment with your favorite desserts and wines.
DESSERT CATEGORIES
Just as categorizing dessert wines and cheeses is not a straightforward task, categorizing
desserts is not totally straightforward either. As you are aware, desserts are frequently a
combination of items—fruits, custard, chocolate, and nuts could easily be part of one dessert.
The point of separating them into categories is to determine likely matches with individual
elements. When multiple dessert elements (fruit, custard, chocolate, etc.) are combined,
layers of components, texture, and flavors are created for a wide variety of similar and
contrasting elements. This process provides some basic rules to follow in the dessert and
dessert wine pairing process, which can be expanded to multiple dessert element situations.
As with the other pairings throughout this text, there are a few tools at your disposal.
First is the general rule that the wine should be as sweet as or sweeter than the dessert.
Second, excessive food elements such as bitterness, sweetness, acidity, and richness may