‘Tis the festive season of indulging, entertaining, and treating with sweets. My head is swirling with visions of sugar plums dancing in the candy cane forest as I am about to dive into another sugar fix, because I can… it’s Christmas. No other time of year sends you into a sugar fest quite like Christmas. I grew up in a household of a baking, from shortbread to ginger snaps to fruitcake to mincemeat pies. Obviously not allowed to indulge in any wine and spirit pairings for these delectable treats back then, but there is nothing stopping me now!
So what pairs well with all these decadent sweets? Here’s a few wine and sweets pairing tips to help you navigate…
Always have the wine as sweet as the dessert, if not sweeter. Sweetness in food tends to tone down the sweetness of a wine and sends forth the structural elements such as alcohol and acidity to the forefront.
In a nation of bacon and pineapple pizza, who doesn’t love sweet and salty. Fortified sweet wines such as port or Madeira pair beautifully with blue cheeses for such a harmonious match.
Chocolate rules but be careful as those chocolatey notes in your dry red wine may fool you into believing they will pair. Some richer reds with sweet berry fruits such as zinfandel will sometimes match a darker chocolate. It also depends which type of chocolate!
White chocolate: Lusciously sweet and creamy with vanilla notes. Dessert wines with citrus notes and fresh acidity cut through all that creaminess. Try a Tokaji , Sauternes or an orange muscat dessert wine like Quady’s Essencia.
Milk chocolate: Sweet with a mouth coating texture. Fortified wines with higher alcohol levels help offset the creaminess. Tawny ports with their hint of nuttiness work nicely.
Dark chocolate: We are in serious cocoa territory now. Ruby fortified wines with their rich berry fruits are ideal for pairing. Go for a classic match with a late bottled vintage port or Banyuls.
Now, follow me in merry measure for some of my favourite pairings to help you enjoy the sweet magic of the holiday season!
Persephone Imperial Gingerbread Porter – 8.2% - $9.49
Wow, this beer is dessert. It’s loaded with mouth-filling flavours of ginger spice, vanilla and roast coffee overtones. The slight alcohol kick keeps you tingly and warm. Best enjoyed donning an ugly sweater or with crunchy gingerbread men.
Lustau East India Sherry – 20% - $32.99
Don’t forget to leave that sip of sherry out for Santa. This sweet cream sherry smacks of roasted nuts, toffee and fig. Great for spiced nuts, any caramelized dessert or Stollen.
Smith Woodhouse Late Bottled Vintage Port 2004 – 20% - $39.99
These “LBV’s” are so enjoyable and approachable over the holiday season as they do not need the long-term ageing of a vintage port. Packed with blackberry fruit, prune, raisin and peppery spice, bring forth the mincemeat tarts!
Muckle Flugga Speyside Whisky – 40% - $87.99
Oh what fun it is tonight, making spirits bright. This silky gentle dram aged in ex- sherry casks offers seductive flavours of baked pear, fruitcake and honey topped up with Christmassy winter spices. In the manner of all things festive, pair with a Christmas fruitcake or sticky toffee pudding.
Bumbu XO Rum – 40% - $68.99
Care to take a journey to the Caribbean on a chilly winter’s eve? Warming spices abound that would melt any snowman’s heart with this deliciously powerful rum. So conspire and dream by the fire savouring with some rum balls.
Sons of Vancouver #82 Amaretto – 26% - $37.99
The 82 represents the number of times they perfected this recipe to craft this wonderfully delicious amaretto. Made simply with 5 natural ingredients using crushed apricot pit, vanilla and orange peel, then sweetened to perfection with BC blackberry honey and Demerara sugar. Shortbread cookies or almond biscotti for dipping.