Top pairings | What’s the best wine to pair with lemon tart (aka tarte au citron)?

Pairings | Desserts

What’s the best wine to pair with lemon tart (aka tarte au citron)?

The classic tarte au citron is tricky with wine, particularly if it’s home made. And the sharper and more lemony (and delicious) it is, the harder it is to find a good match.

Basically what they tend to do is wipe the citrus flavours - and the sweetness - out of any accompanying dessert wine leaving them tasting thin and sharp. The only really successful match I’ve found is a sweet wine that has a lot of acidity like a German beerenauslese Riesling or other very sweet late harvest Riesling served really cold. (Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein or icewine could also work for you but I find they bump up the sweetness too much.

I also had success with a beerenauslese Chardonnay from Austria which was a bit of a surprise. Sweet chardonnay wouldn’t have occurred to me if I hadn’t tried it.

There is a trick you could pull. Serve the tart with a good dollop of cream (what a hardship!) and you’ll find it will kick other wines into touch. Late Harvest Sauvignons or Sauvignon/Semillon blends from the Australian Riverlands or Chile would be my preferred option.

They also go well with shop-bought lemon tarts and the slightly less intensely lemony lemon meringue pie.

Picture by Pixel-Shot at shutterstock.com

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Comments: 1 (Add)

Michael G. on August 11 2014 at 16:34

I love a dessert wine with dessert. I think it is the last great touch of a meal with friends (before the digestive)! Are far as I have tried no wine could go with lemon tart. But! A taste of Llmoncello is excellent. Warm on the mouth and the taste buds with a chilled tart - excellent! Just a tincture is the business. Bon Appetit! Michael G.

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