Baked Peaches

Fortified · Full · Sweet

Port aged in cask for years, taking on nutty, caramel, dried-fruit character. The 10-, 20-, 30-, and 40-year designations are the most reliable indicators of style.

Works with Baked Peaches · Baked Ricotta With Caramelized Peaches

Red · Full · Dry

The benchmark for full-bodied red — structured, age-worthy, unapologetic. Black currant, graphite, and tobacco lead into firm tannins that demand protein on the plate. Decant young bottles; cellar the serious ones.

White · Medium · Dry

The most-planted white grape and the most chameleon-like. Crisp and steely from Chablis; rich, oaky, and tropical from California. Read the label, then match the style to the dish.

Italian sweet wine style — grapes dried on mats before pressing, concentrating sugar into syrup. Made across Italy in many regions; always for dessert.

Red · Light · Dry

Burgundy's most temperamental grape, but the rewards are real — translucent ruby with a perfumed lift of red cherry, forest floor, and clove. Silken tannins and bright acid make it the most versatile red on the table; serve cool, around 58°F.

White · Medium · Dry

Aromatic, racy, and shapeshifting — bone-dry in Alsace, off-dry on the Mosel, syrupy and ageless when late-harvested. The single most versatile wine for spicy food on earth.

Dessert · Full · Sweet

Bordeaux's legendary sweet white — Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc hit by noble rot, then patiently fermented. Honey, apricot, candied citrus, and a finish that lasts a small eternity. Pair with foie gras, blue cheese, or a fruit tart.

Fortified · Full · Sweet

Sherry's fullest dry style — aged oxidatively from the start, no flor. Walnut, fig, leather; the wine for game and aged hard cheese.