Wine and Dessert Pairings

Lush Life

by Amanda McKenna

The perfect mix of creamy and tangy, the Moshulu's cheesecake tastes best paired with a glass of Jackson-Triggs Vidal Icewine from the Niagara Peninsula. The wine's strong nose of apricot and honeysuckle and high residual sugars complement the tartness of the sorbet and spicy ginger snap of the cake.

Port is an obvious choice when it comes to chocolate desserts, but few stack up to Vintage's 2002 Pedroncelli Bench Merlot. This earthy, garnet-colored red has hints of toffee, coffee and black cherry. Sip it with chef Jason Gleichman's chocolate espresso pot de creme, finished with vanilla whipped cream, butterpan wafers and chocolate panatelas.

The Reymos Espumoso de Moscatel, a standout on Ferdie's long list of Spanish wines, is a sweet cava sparkler with a full apple nose that pairs perfectly with their apple bread pudding, soaked in fresh-squeezed Granny Smith apple juice and served with homemade almond ice cream. Head chef Blake Joffe says the tangy-sweet combo keeps the pairing from being too overwhelming.

Executive chef Olivier de Saint Martin's bittersweet chocolate souffle has a hard outer shell and a gooey center made with Cacao Barry, a French chocolate powder with low sugar content. Couple it with a glass of Coteaux du Layon, a white wine from the Loire Valley in France.

Derek's GM and wine director Samantha Gaw says the crisp floral flavors of King Estate's Pinot Gris counteract the sweetness of their Tahitian vanilla creme brulee. Made with raw Floridian sugar, it's served with a toffee chip cookie on the side.