Dessert & Wine Pairings
Some examples of Judy Mattera's luscious liaisons:
Pumpkin Mostarda Strudel
paired with Yalumba Museum Reserve Muscat, Australia
Yalumba Museum Muscat from Australia is a fortified wine made from the Muscat grape. It is tawny in hue with aromas of ginger, orange, some clove and raisined fruit. It will pair nicely with pumpkin mostarda strudel, a pumpkin puree mixed with mustard fruits, pine nuts, spices and amaretti cookie crumbs, wrapped in phyllo dough. This is a pairing to get you ready for Thanksgiving!
Bittersweet Chocolate Tart, Chilled Cherry Sabayon
paired with Graham's Six Grapes Reserve Porto, Douro Valley, Portugal
Silky and smooth dark chocolate in a vanilla crust makes this an elegant ending to a meal paired with Porto. Graham's Six Grapes is an excellent fresh ruby Porto with deep color and delicious black fruit, which will pair beautifully bringing out the chocolate flavor. Serve with chilled cherry sabayon.
Passion Fruit Cheesecake Gelee
paired with Inniskillin Vidal Icewine
A tropical cheesecake pairs well with this flavorful icewine from the Niagara Peninsula. Golden in color with hints of mango and peach, it has a delicate nectar. The creaminess of the dessert and the tartness of the passion fruit balances the natural sweetness of this top Canadian wine.
Peach Crostata
paired with Arrowood Late Harvest White Riesling
Rustic crostata with sliced peaches over a thin layer of vanilla bean mascarpone will complement this Select Late Harvest Riesling from Alexander Valley, California. A nose of apricot and peach with tastes of vanilla and small amounts of honey, this sweet wine has a lingering finish.
Mixed Berries with Cassis Sorbet
paired with Banfi Brachetto d'Acqui
Strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, topped with Cassis sorbet, pair well with this fruity red sparkler from Piedmont. Refreshing and light, this spumante has a strawberry bouquet, clean flavors, and is a welcome treat on a summer day.
Chocolate Banana Nut Bread Pudding
paired with Blandy's 5 year old Malmsey Madeira
Bread pudding, a New England favorite, gets dressed up for this pairing. It consists of toasted cubes of banana cake, brioche, and chopped pecans soaked in a chocolate custard and served warm. The many components of this dessert — chocolate, caramel, and pecans — play perfect partner to the complexity of this fortified wine.
Honey Custard "Brulée" with Dried Fruit Compote and Goat Cheese Crema
paired with Château Coutet Premier Cru Classé à Barsac Sauternes, France
A silky honey custard with a caramelized top, served alongside a warm dried fruit compote and a cool, tangy goat cheese crema. Château Coutet, a Premier Cru Classé from Barsac, brings honeyed citrus, apricot, and a lively acidity that cuts through the richness of the custard while echoing the sweetness of the compote — a truly elegant pairing.
Gingerbread Cake, Plum Marmalade, Molasses Anglaise
paired with Tokaj Classic Winery's Tokaji Aszú, 6 Puttonyos, Hungary
Warm spiced gingerbread cake served with a tart plum marmalade and a rich molasses anglaise finds its perfect match in this legendary Hungarian dessert wine. Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos is intensely sweet with notes of apricot, orange peel, honey, and a distinctive mineral finish — its vibrant acidity lifts the richness of the cake and echoes the deep fruit of the marmalade beautifully.
Apple Raisin Cake
paired with Château Suduiraut, Premier Cru Sauternes, France
Organic Fuji apples along with pine nuts and golden and dark raisins macerated in Premier Cru Classé Sauternes makes a heavenly dessert. Château Suduiraut (93% Sémillon and 7% Sauvignon Blanc) is full bodied, elegant, botrytis present. Flavors of honey, tropical and stone fruit, this big powerful Sauternes has a rich mouthfeel, terrific structure, well balanced, long finish.
Raspberry Almond Financier
paired with Gratien & Meyer "Cuvée Cardinal" Demi-Sec Rouge
Raspberry jam is sandwiched between a nut batter baked in small rectangular molds creating a light berry dessert. It will balance with this sparkling red from the Saumur region in the Loire Valley. Dark rose color with small bubbles, this demi-sec is made from 100% Cabernet Franc and is slightly sweet. Flavors of red fruits like cherries, strawberries and raspberries make this a very distinctive wine not to be missed.
Cornmeal Currant Wafers
paired with Essencia, Quady Winery, CA
Cornmeal currant wafers are cookies with currants plumped and steeped in a small amount of Orange Blossom Muscat before incorporating into the dough. Quady's Essencia is lightly fortified and aged for three months in French Oak. It is a great accompaniment to these wafers.
Dark Chocolate Crème Brûlée
paired with Quady's Elysium Black Muscat, Madera, CA
Made from 100% Black Muscat grapes, this wine has rose and litchi aromas. It will pair nicely with bittersweet chocolate made into a silky smooth custard topped with a caramelized crust.
Dried Fruit Biscotti
paired with Lungarotti Vino Santo, Torgiano, Italy
Many Italian meals end with a plate of biscotti, a twice baked cookie. Here mixed dried fruit macerates in Vino Santo before it is incorporated into the batter. These nutty cookies are a treat to finish your dinner with this full bodied, raisiny wine.
Blueberry Tart
paired with Dry Creek Vineyard Late Harvest Zinfandel, Sonoma County, CA
This summer-time favorite utilizes delicious local berries, which are cooked down to a thick jam and baked in a cornmeal crust. Dry Creek's Late Harvest Zinfandel presents with aromas of berry and plum, good structure, long finish, just what you want to remember on a hot summer day.
Apple, Walnut and Medjool Date Croustade
paired with Graham's 20 year old Tawny Porto, Portugal
This apple phyllo tart with date jam is made by cooking Medjool dates in a fortified wine with spices, then layering walnuts, honey, and roasted apple slices. A 20 year old Tawny Porto works well here, particularly with the walnuts.
Spicy Plum Marmalade Tart
paired with Vintner's Pride Finale, Pellegrini Vineyards, Long Island, New York
Serve this plum marmalade tart with Finale, a wine from Long Island. Finale is a combination of Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc and it will stand up to the spice when making the marmalade. A true finale!