No Thanksgiving feast is complete without dessert. A "digestif," or after-dinner libation, is a great ending to the holiday meal. While brandy and cognac are classic after-dinner drinks, many hosts are starting to serve dessert wine at Thanksgiving. There are many varieties of dessert wines that make wonderful options for pumpkin pie or other sweet treats.
Instructions
1. Plan your dinner menu first. If you serve wine with dinner, you may want different qualities in dessert wines. For example, if you have headier reds with turkey and all the trimmings, you might want a light, sweet white wine after the meal. Good choices of light, sweet whites include Viogonier, Muscat Canelli, Moscato, Moscato d'Asti, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and late-harvest Gewurztraminer or Riesling. If you are serving dense and sugary desserts, you might choose instead a heady, sweet vintage like Vino Santo or Port.
2. Decide on dessert. Once you know what you are serving, you can choose the wine or wines. The rule of thumb is to pair desserts with wines that are more sweet and intense than the desserts themselves.
3. Pick a wine that goes with pumpkin pie. While this classic dessert is a beloved Thanksgiving tradition, its sweet and savory taste creates something of a challenge when deciding on a dessert wine to accompany it. One option is aged Oloroso or cream sherry. Sherry's sweetness and warmth offset the spiciness of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. The more acidic and nutty Vino Santo also stands up to pumpkin pie spices while contrasting nicely with the pie's rich creaminess. Another good choice is Moscatall's summer fruit sweetness, which is not overly cloying. If you want to create a striking contrast, chill a dry Tokaji for fresh, tart apple and citrus tones that balance the pie's sweet, creamy character.
4. Find wines to compliment other desserts. Cheesecake and pecan pie pair well with the intense sweet nuttiness of Hungarian Tokaji-Aszus. Likewise, the nutty richness of tawny port is a great choice for a decadent dessert. Vintage ports and port-style dessert wines are also excellent with chocolate. Spicy late-harvest Gewurztraminer, fruity late-harvest Riesling or mellow ruby ports can be delicious beside the cinnamon and ginger of fruit pies or cobblers.
5. Ask a wine proprietor for recommendations if you are unsure what varietals will best compliment your dessert choices. For example, some lighter, sweeter wines like Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc are also table wines; these may not pair as well with desserts. However, other late-harvest Rieslings are a great accompaniment for sweets. If you plan to serve a light white wine with dessert, be sure you choose a bottle that will not taste too sharp or too sour next to a very sugary dessert.
6. Chill glasses ahead of time if you are chilling the dessert wine.
7. Pour two ounces of dessert wine into each glass and serve with dessert.
Tags: dessert wine, dessert wines, late-harvest Gewurztraminer, light sweet, pair well
