|
|
 |
Dessert wines
|
| In Italian cuisine the dessert course consists of a sweet that is meant to conclude the meal and it is almost always composed of sugars, fats and spices. The sense of sweetness tends to prevail over the other characteristics and so this course should be accompanied by a sweet wine in keeping with the principle of appropriate balance. The term dessert wine, however, refers to a whole array of different types of sweet wines. |
|
|
|
|
According to tradition, a tray of assorted cookies, crunchy morsels brimming with flavor and still warm from the oven, should be accompanied by a little Vin Santo. Primarily associated Tuscan tradition, it's a raisin wine obtained from the best grapes that are left to dry after being harvested. This wine is distinguished by a complex bouquet.
Delicate and velvety, the Moscato Rosa, is a DOC wine (Denominazione d'Origine Controllata) / (Quality wines produced in a specific region) from the Trentino area in the northeast of Italy. It is known for is rosy hue and considered to be perfect with cookies and non-creamy, drier pastry items. It should be served cool at a temperature of 10-12°C.
Sweets made from almond paste, like traditional panforte (a kind of fruitcake), call for raisin wines with a higher alcohol content and a more pronounced bouquet, such as a hearty Moscadello di Montalcino.
In this case, be sure to try some of the southern versions; we especially recommend an exquisite glass of Marsala, perhaps accompanied by a Sicilian cassata cake. This particular wine has been conciato (treated), i.e. fortified during the winemaking process by the addition of cooked must and then allowed to evaporate until reduced to one-third of its original volume. The sweet version, distinguished by an intense, concentrated bouquet, featuring heady notes of citrus and almond, goes wonderfully with marzipan treats.
Marrons glacés (candied chestnuts) and ricotta-filled pastries also call for a wine with lots of character. An excellent choice would be a fine Passito di Pantelleria, known for its rich amber hue and bouquet brimming with sweet raisin and vanilla notes; the actual flavor recalls dates and liquorice. It should be served cool (but not overly chilled) so that it releases its natural sweetness in a delicate manner. The most appropriate glasses for enjoying raisin wines are little tulip-shaped goblets with a flared rim and long stem.
|
|
|
|
If you have a weakness for cake-type desserts, everything from pandolce and panettone, to colomba (dove) cakes, pandoro, ciambelle and brioches, you would do well to go with a white or red wine that is fairly aromatic, containing a modest amount of alcohol and served chilled, at a temperature of 8-10°C. We would suggest an excellent wine from the Piedmont region in the northwest of Italy, a Freisa, a mellow red wine with unmistakable raspberry notes. For people who are fond of chestnut-based desserts, an excellent accompaniment would be a glass of Cagnina. Imbued with a bouquet recalling woodland berries, this wine is grown in Romagna in the centre of northern Italy and has a lively red color that tends toward purple.
The classic baked ciambella, a ring-shaped delicate sponge cake, goes very down nicely indeed with a sip of Albana dolce. This wine has the prestigious Italian appellation DOCG (Controlled and guaranteed denomination of origin) and is highly versatile and known for its persistent fruity notes. If you prefer the delicacy of a puff-pasty dessert or a Saint Honoré, you should opt for a more complex wine with a higher percentage of alcohol and a more decisive flavor. In this case we would recommend a Recioto della Valpolicella, a ruby-red raisin wine from the Veneto region in the northeast of Italy. This wine is dominated by a note of maraschino-cherry, and served at a temperature of around 16°C. A sophisticated accompaniment to this sort of pastry would be an Aleatico dell'Elba, known for its brilliant ruby-red color and engaging, sweetly mellow notes.
|
|
|
|
When it comes to more elaborate desserts, things like profiterol (chocolate-covered mounds of creampuffs), cream or chocolate-filled pastries and rich cakes made from cream and vanilla, the best wine is a sweet, sparking red or white variety boasting a fairly high level of alcohol. The effervescence serves as a sharp note, bringing out all the delicacy of vanilla, confectioner's cream and whipped cream. And in the case of fried pastries, a lively sparkling wine will enable you to clean your taste buds, so to speak, and counter the heaviness of the grease. Moscato d'Asti, with its brilliant straw-yellow color, is a sophisticated, vivacious wine known for its pronounced fruity notes. Its richly aromatic sophistication should be set off with an equally graceful serving glass, a low, open champagne glass. Moscato should be enjoyed at a temperature of 10-12°C.
|
|
|
|
Rich desserts like fruit tarts, strudel and honey cakes, topped with warm vanilla cream go very nicely with still wines that are a bit lower in alcohol content, although still quite intense, such as the sweet version of a Verduzzo di Ramandolo. A brilliant golden color and a full bouquet dominated by fruity notes makes this wine an excellent accompaniment to desserts featuring fresh fruit, especially berries. And don't forget to try a Picolit, a fine wine from the Friuli region in the far northeast of Italy, known for its persistent acacia note and fairly high alcohol content. It should be served well chilled, at around 8°C.
Another wine that goes well with fruit pastries, as well as chilled desserts and cookies etc., is a Malvasia delle Lipari, a Sicilian appellation (DOC) wine with a full, aromatic bouquet distinguished by floral notes. It should be served in long-stemmed flutes that taper in toward the top. As with the Moscato, this wine should be served at a temperature of 10-12°C; kept cool, its natural sweetness maintains its harmonious integrity, providing a velvety accompaniment to the dessert it is served with.
|
|
|
|
A veritable treasure trove of flavors makes it possible to enjoy a rich chocolate dessert or even a top-quality chocolate bar without foregoing the pleasure of an accompanying wine. We are referring to a hearty Barolo Chinato, flavored with the cinchona bark, rhubarb root and gentian. The active ingredients of these plants are extracted by means of a maceration process at room temperature, at the end of which a selection of aromatic herbs are added, including costly cardamom. As an alternative, you could enjoy your favorite chocolate treats with a delicious liqueur wine made from Refosco grapes.
The liqueur wines are different from other wines due to the addition of concentrated grape must and/or alcohol during the winemaking process. All the examples given, to which many others could be added to satisfy even the most individual tastes, make excellent after-dinner wines, as they have enough character and flavor to stand on their own.
|
|
|
|
|
