You might think there was enough sweet stuff on the menu over the holiday period without adding dessert wines to the mix, but apparently not. Christmas is the one time of year when retailers, almost certainly responding to consumer demand, tend to have a good selection: fortified wines such as port and sherry, obviously, but also lighter dessert wines that, despite recent price increases, can still be remarkable value for money.
So when and with what should you drink them? In fact, it’s almost easier to point out what doesn’t work. Lighter wines such as sauternes or their less expensive equivalents (see below) aren’t great with classic festive desserts such as Christmas pudding or a bûche de Noël, and work much better with lighter, fruitier, more citrusy desserts. Port, meanwhile, tends to be too strong even for mince pies, so save that for the stilton. And with some dessert wines, such as ultra-sweet ice wine (Lidl has an elegantly bottled 10.5% Vidal from Canadian producer Pillitteri for £12.99), it’s better to sip them on their own.
