Some Food Pairings for SWEET wines

There are so many guides, advices, and suggestions regarding pairing dry wines with savory foods, but few formal ones for sweet wines. Here is a seriously abridged and somewhat off the cuff set of recommendations…Comments? Other pairing suggestions? Let’s hear ‘em!
PORT - Blue-veined cheeses. Nuts and dried fruits.
SWEETER MADEIRAS (Malmsey, Bual) - Intense chocolate desserts, Nut-based sweets, custards.
MOSCATO D’ASTI - Flakey, cream pastries.
RECIOTO DELLA VALPOLICELLA - Berry pies and tarts.
RECIOTO DI SOAVE - Lemon merengue pie, Pandoro, panforte, panettone (”dry”, sweet cakes)
EISWEIN - White chocolate desserts
BANYULS - Semi-sweet dark chocolate desserts
SAUTERNES - Foie gras, Sweet/pungent dishes like a sweet and sour dishes or honey-mustard dishes.
VIN SANTO - Cantucci or Cantuccini cookies (”biscotti”) Almond pudding.
TOKAJI ASZU - Classic fruitcakes
PEDRO XIMENEZ - Plum pudding, Mincemeat pie.
MUSCAT - Orange marmalade filled pastries. Halvas politikos (semolina and cinnamon dessert)
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Very thought provoking, I had to run to Oxford companion to look up Bayuls, Recioto and more.
I am looking forward to your regular contributions.
In the summertime I have paired mosacato d’ asti with peach sorbet (also with a demi-sec prosecco for a sort of Bellinni separated).
I think there is a rising awareness in this country for dessert wines. This posting is a nice addition to that awareness.
Comment by Big Billy from Big D — November 30, 2006 @ 5:31 pm
Banyuls is my fave pairing with chocolate. Your other pairings are great except for PEDRO XIMENEZ. It is dessert in a glass, and pairs with nothing (IMHO).
Comment by GeneV — November 30, 2006 @ 7:37 pm
Must mention that I almost killed myself Thanksgiving with hot Southern pecan pie and vanilla ice cream, slathered with a Tawny Port.
Comment by elbowroom — November 30, 2006 @ 7:57 pm
personally, I don’t like to eat anything sweet w/ sweet wine. It’s just too much sweet. I prefer to offset the sweet with bitter or salty, etc. Sort of a “coffee w/ dessert” approach. In this case, the wine would be the dessert. I really like the Port w/ blue cheese idea!
Comment by wildebeest — December 1, 2006 @ 4:07 am
Hello Tom,
Very nice suggestions. Had Le Sauternes de ma Fille 2004 (Chateu Latrezotte) from Bernard Magrez last Monday with a Buttermilk Panna Cotta with blueberry sauce. I had thought that the Panna Cotta would be perfect and it was. I was a bit concerned about the sauce but the wine stood right up to it and was a fine match.
Good luck with the Terroir Blog.
Phil
Comment by Phil Ward — December 3, 2006 @ 8:28 am
I’m still trying to find a dessert wine that doesn’t go with cheesecake. It’s been just horrible doing all that tasting.
The Alvear Pedro Ximenez Solera was one of the best!
Comment by SeanM — December 4, 2006 @ 9:51 am
Interesting on the SAUTERNES, always thought of it as a desert wine.
Comment by TampaSteve — December 4, 2006 @ 9:56 am
I also like Pedro Ximenez poured over the best vanilla ice cream you can find. Heavenly
Comment by Lawrence Leichtman — December 7, 2006 @ 3:42 pm
I suggest that all ports do not pair alike. That is tuby or vintage ports, with their strong tannin and body will pair differently than tawnys.
Comment by rich — January 21, 2007 @ 10:32 pm
Hi all you sweet tooths. Australia’s best kept secret are the fotified wines of Rutherglen region. Called Tokay, and Muscat, they are so intense that they are the best match for chocolate that I have found. You all owe me one , OK?
Comment by Garry — April 2, 2007 @ 11:06 pm
Good quality wine can make a lot of difference, whether its white or red, I personally prefer red over white, and again it’s depends on a food and personal condition, over all I look at a quality. Here is another interesting page on this topic of wine, check it here http://www.wine-expert-101.com/Dry-Wines.php
Comment by Michael M — May 10, 2007 @ 4:04 am