Wine Is Not Just For Dinner!

End holiday meals with your favorite wines

During this festive time of year, even those of us who normally don’t indulge in desserts find ourselves feasting happily on seasonal pies, cookies and other treats. And of course the question always arises over which wines to serve with dessert. While a sweet dessert wine may be an obvious choice with a traditional dessert, we suggest that you consider pushing the envelope!

Redefine the dessert course: Instead of a traditional sweet cake or tart, consider serving a selection of cheeses, dried fruits and lightly toasted nuts that pair beautifully with red wines. Serve Zinfandel with Provolone, Colby, Parmesan or Romano cheeses. Creamy blue cheeses are nice with an older Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. Try Sangiovese with an Italian Fontina. A key point to remember is that smoky cheeses tend to pair best with wines with less tannin. When choosing fruit to serve alongside a cheese platter, we love fresh figs, ripe pears, grapes and apples. Dried fruits such as apricots and dates are also nice.

Pair red wine and chocolate: If you crave a more traditional after-dinner sweet, remember that the dessert should never be sweeter than the wine or the wine will be perceived as tannic, acidic and dull. For this reason, bittersweet chocolate is a great choice to pair with red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Just make sure that the chocolate content is at least 65% and consider serving tangerine segments or barely ripe raspberries alongside the chocolate and wine. One of our favorite chocolates to pair with Cabernet is Scharffenberger unsweetened chocolate. Just break the chocolate into chunks, nibble and sip alongside a glass of Silverado Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon  ~ add some toasted almonds and dried apricots. Mmmm…delicious!

The most important thing to remember when serving wine with dessert is to let your own palate be your guide and have fun experimenting with different pairings. Sipping several wines alongside various cheeses, fruits and chocolates is a wonderful way to make an enjoyable evening extend into the wee hours. Have fun and enjoy!