Orange Pound Cake

Spätlese-and-beyond Riesling — overripe grapes giving wines with measurable residual sugar balanced by Mosel-level acid. Honey, peach, slate; ages magnificently.

Works with Orange-butter Pound Cake · Orange Clove Pound Cake With Strawberries

Sparkling · Light · Dry

California's méthode-traditionnelle sparkling wines — Chardonnay/Pinot Noir-based, brioche-and-citrus, often grown in cool coastal regions. Champagne quality at friendlier prices.

Fortified · Full · Sweet

Portuguese island wine that gets better the more it's mistreated — heated, aged, oxidized into nutty, caramel-tinged immortality. Drink Sercial dry as an aperitif; Bual or Malmsey with dessert.

Sparkling · Light · Sweet

Asti's more refined sibling — gently frizzante, only 5-6% alcohol, all peach and orange blossom. The perfect summer dessert wine.

Fortified · Full · Sweet

Fortified red from Portugal's Douro Valley — sweet, warming, and surprisingly versatile. Ruby and LBV are for everyday; Vintage and Tawny are for serious occasions. Pair with blue cheese, walnuts, or just a fire.

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

Spanish table wine, broadly — Tempranillo, Garnacha, or a regional blend. Sun-soaked, food-friendly, increasingly remarkable for the price.

Fortified · Full · Sweet

Port from a single declared year, aged in bottle for decades. Dense, structured, ageless; the pinnacle of fortified wine.