Top pairings
The best pairings for apple desserts
Apple tarts are one of the most flattering desserts to match with sweet wines but what do you drink with other apple-based desserts?
Crumbles are another hugely popular pud but are they as easy a proposition (especially if they’re served with custard).
Are there some sweet wines that are better with apple-based desserts than others - and what about sweet ciders?
Read on to find out
Light apple-flavoured mousses, parfaits and sorbets
Try an off-dry Prosecco, Moscato d’Asti or a German spätlese Riesling
Traditional apple pies and crumbles
Generally served hot or warm which can complicate the pairing. A Gewürztraminer is the best pairing I’ve found, especially if the dessert includes a little cinnamon. An orangey Moscatel such as inexpensive Moscatel de Valencia can also work well or you could try a sweet cider as in this former Match of the Week.
French-style apple tarts
A classic partner for fine dessert wines such as Sauternes or similar sweet wines from Bordeaux and south-west France - in fact almost any late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc or Semillon. Chenin-based dessert wines from the Loire such as Coteaux du Layon and Vouvray or Montlouis moelleux are also delicious as is a late harvest Riesling
Tarte Tatin
Tarte Tatin is richer and more caramelly - a Muscat - or even liqueur Muscat from Australia would work better
Baked apples
Best with a vintage or festive ale or a barley wine.
See Sybil Kapoor’s lovely recipe for apple and blackberry meringue
Best beers for Christmas
How many of you will be putting beer on the table at Christmas? Not that many, I suspect, but if you can bring yourself to break with tradition you could be in for a treat. Most supermarkets now carry a sufficiently wide range for you to be able to serve a different beer with each course, should you be so minded. And here’s how to do it:
- As an aperitif or with the smoked salmon I suggest a good quality pilsner or a fragrant cloudy witbier like Hoegaarden or a Bavarian weissbier
- With turkey I’d go for a blonde beer like Leffe, a strong Belgian ale such as Duvel or an American IPA such as Goose Island IPA
- With the pudding - or Christmas cake - you could try a stout or a porter such as Meantime’s (the strong, dark, bitter flavour of the beer will be a great contrast to the sweet, sticky dried fruits) and with the cheese, especially the Stilton, I recommend a vintage ale such as J.W.Lees Harvest ale or other barley wine
There are a number of seasonal beers around such as Young’s fruity, spicy Christmas Pudding Ale but I suggest you again drink those with the cheese or enjoy them on their own rather than pairing them with Christmas pudding, as the name perhaps suggests. The sweet, spicy pudding will knock out the same flavours in the beer leaving you with a dry thin-tasting drink.
For more seasonal beer drinking ideas, check out these posts:
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