Pears Chocolate

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.

Works with Pears Chocolate · Poached Pears With Chocolate-pear Sauce

California or Pacific Northwest late-harvest white — usually Riesling or Gewürztraminer, picked overripe for concentrated sweetness. Honey, peach, ginger.

Dessert · Medium · Sweet

Shorthand for Cabernet Sauvignon — full-bodied, structured red wine with notes of black currant, graphite, and cedar. The classic steakhouse choice.

Dessert · Medium · Sweet

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

Languedoc's classic Vin Doux Naturel — fortified Muscat with honey, orange peel, and a long sweet finish. The dessert wine for southern French summer evenings.

An uncatalogued varietal or single-vineyard wine. Taste before pairing: assess color, weight, and any obvious sweetness, then plate accordingly.

White · Light · Off-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.

Historical English name for Tokaji — Hungary's noble-rot sweet wine. Apricot, marmalade, ginger, centuries of pedigree.