Pairings | Late harvest sauvignon blanc
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
The best wine pairings with Roquefort cheese
Roquefort cheese is unusual in having such a frequently recommended wine match (Sauternes) that you may wonder if it’s worth drinking anything else but depending how you serve it there are a number of other options.
It’s actually used as often as part of a recipe as it is on its own, particularly in salads which may well mean you don’t want to start your meal with a sweet wine.
It’s also unusually salty which can have the effect of making red wines taste thin and mean.
On its own
Sauternes is king but you could also try similar sweet wines from Bordeaux or the surrounding regions such as Barsac, Saussignac, Loupiac or Monbazillac. Late harvest sauvignon blancs from elsewhere would also work. It’s also fantastic with peaty Islay whiskies like Lagavulin as you can see in this match of the week
As part of a cheeseboard
Here there are other cheeses to counterbalance its sharpness but I’d still go for something sweet rather than a dry red. A Banyuls*, Maury or Rivesaltes if you’re want to stick to French wine; an oloroso sherry or a late bottled vintage or vintage port if you want to stray further afield.
If you do want to drink red, Bordeaux is traditional though full-bodied reds from the Languedoc would be the local choice (Roquefort is made up in the plateau de Larzac). Blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot such as Meritage blends and mature Cabernet would also work.
In a salad
The most usual combination is with bitter leaves, pears and walnuts** and maybe a dressing made out of nut oil. I’d be inclined to keep your wine quite dry and even a touch oxidised if the dressing is nutty too: Savignin from the Jura would be great, or try an aged Muscadet or even a crisp fino sherry. If the dressing is lighter try an Alsace riesling.
With a steak or a burger
Cabernet is great with beef and blue cheese.
*I also discovered a Languedoc red called Palais Royal from Domaine de L’Arjolle which worked really well as you can see from this post
** You might also want to try this recipe for hot pears with Roquefort and Walnuts from TV chef Michel Roux Jr which he pairs with a Bonnezeaux, old oloroso sherry or a tawny port.
Photo by Polina Tankilevitch
What wine - and other drinks - to pair with cheesecake
The most useful clue to the kind of wine that works with cheesecake is to think of the toppings and flavourings that are used in cheesecake recipes rather than the base.
You also need to take into consideration what type of cheesecake you’re dealing with - a classic New York cheesecake or a light, ricotta-based one (I’ll leave savoury cheesecakes for the moment)
Beer and spirits or liqueurs may be as good as wine. Nigella for example has an apple cheesecake with butterscotch sauce in her book Feast that is made with apple schnapps and suggests drinking the same liqueur with it. Here are some other ideas:
Plain cheesecake
Sweet riesling or a late harvest sauvignon blanc are pretty reliable choices
Honey cheesecake
A great discovery last year at Honey & Co - a marvellous pairing of Canadian Vidal ice wine and honey and feta cheesecake I made my match of the week.
Lemon or orange cheesecake
Lemon is always a bit tricky because it tends to knock the lemony flavour out of any accompanying wine. If the lemon’s not too pronounced - say in an Italian-style ricotta cheesecake - try a moscato d’Asti or an 'extra dry' (ironically medium-sweet) prosecco. If it’s more powerful try an icewine again shot of well chilled limoncello. With orange-flavoured cheesecake an orange muscat like Andrew Quady's Essensia would be better.
Berry - and cherry - topped cheesecake
Again late harvest riesling will probably cope but to be honest I prefer Belgian-style raspberry or cherry beers. I suspect also that the Cabernet Franc ice wine I found such a good match a couple of years ago for a rhubarb cheesecake would work with a raspberry or strawberry-topped cheesecake too.
Toffee, caramel or maple-flavoured cheesecake
If you like this style of cheesecake you almost certainly have a sweet tooth so a Australian-style ‘sticky’ liqueur muscat would probably suit you down to the ground. A glass of tawny port would be a slightly drier option. For a pumpkin cheesecake I’d go for something a bit lighter - a muscat or moscatel like Torres’ Floralis Moscatel Oro, for example.
Chocolate cheesecake
Sweet red wines generally work with chocolate and cheesecake is no exception though you might be able to get away with a lush dry red as I did in this surprising match. I suspect one of the new wave of sweet reds like Apothik would work too. Having less of a sweet tooth I’d personally go for a madeira or an oloroso sherry - also a good match, I reckon, for a Nutella cheesecake.
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