Pumpkin Pie

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

Works with Pumpkin Pie Brûlée · Pumpkin Chiffon Pie With Gingersnap Pecan Crust

Sparkling · Light · Dry

Asti, Moscato d'Asti, or Brachetto — Italy's sweet, low-alcohol sparkling tradition. Peach, orange blossom, gentle fizz. The summer-dessert wine.

Works with Pumpkin Pie Brûlée · Pumpkin Chiffon Pie With Gingersnap Pecan Crust

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.

Works with Pumpkin Pie Brûlée · Pumpkin Chiffon Pie With Gingersnap Pecan Crust

Sparkling · Light · Sweet

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

Works with Pumpkin Pie Parfait · White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

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.

Works with Pumpkin Pie Parfait · White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

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.

Fortified · Full · Sweet

Sweet Oloroso-based Sherry, sweetened with Pedro Ximénez — caramel, raisin, walnut. The traditional after-dinner sip.

White · Medium · Off-dry

Lychee, rose petal, and a touch of ginger; medium-bodied, low-acid, and unmistakable. The wine for any cuisine where the spice cabinet did the heavy lifting.

Southwest France's affordable Sauternes — Semillon and Sauvignon hit by noble rot, just over the river from Bordeaux. Honey, apricot, candied citrus at half the price.

Red · Medium · Dry

Southwest France's affordable Sauternes — Semillon and Sauvignon hit by noble rot, just over the river from Bordeaux. Honey, apricot, candied citrus at half the price.

The Muscat grape family — covers everything from dry Alsace styles through sweet Beaumes-de-Venise to ancient Greek dessert wines. Always perfumed; always smells like grapes.

White · Light · Dry

Italy's everyday white — light, lemony, neutral by design. Pleasant with anything; profound with very little. The best Friuli bottles are quietly excellent.