[Plus: Sweet Specials: A roundup of Chicago restaurants offering Valentine’s Day dinner]
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Savvy food pairings could help people appreciate dessert wines, but that raises another problem: The general rule is that the dessert wine should be as sweet or sweeter than the dessert so that the wine isn’t overpowered. Yet how’s the average diner to know how sweet a wine is when even those with the same name, for example Beerenauslese, can vary widely depending on the sugar-acid balance, grape variety, year, and a host of other factors? Some winemakers offer clues—Austrian Alois Kracher, who makes only dessert wines, numbers each vintage of his varietals on a sweetness scale of 1 to 12. But generally the best bet is to ask an expert, which is what we did here, soliciting suggestions for pairings including treats for Valentine’s Day.
Fernando Beteta Master sommelier, NoMi
Moscato d’Asti from Italy, a fizzy, low-alcohol wine made from sweet muscat grapes, is a good all-purpose dessert wine that’s not too costly ($12-$17 retail) and is often available by the glass in restaurants. Crisp and not at all cloying, it goes well with fruit desserts, biscotti, and even cheesecake. The fresher the better, so look for 2008 or 2009.
Kracher Trockenbeerenauslese Chardonnay No. 9 2004 ($92), an earthy and honeyed yet brightly acidic “noble rot” wine (made with grapes infected by botrytis cinerea, a parasitic fungus) complements either a hard aged cheese with caramelly overtones or a pear dessert.
For Valentine’s Day, Trotter’s has come up with half a dozen desserts, each paired with two dessert wines, most of which are also available at Trotter’s to Go (1337 W. Fullerton, 773-868-6510). Here are a just a few of the pairings; the prices are what you’ll pay at the shop, not at the table.
Howard’s Wine Cellar 1244 W. Belmont, 773-248-3766
Lush Wine and Spirits Multiple locations, lushwineandspirits.com
Charlie Trotter’s 816 W. Armitage, 773-248-6228, charlietrotters.com
