Wine and cheese are great together. Wine and cheesecake go even better together.
However simple this may sound, pairing wine with desserts isn’t that easy. However, when done well, you’re off to Nirvana. There’s a general rule when pairing wine with dessert and that is to pair the dessert with a sweeter wine than it is but that’s always the case. Crisp and medium-bodied wines can go very well with desserts to offset the sugary notes of the dessert.
Table of Contents
1. Sweet Riesling
The classic cheesecake is paired best with Riesling, Champagne, and other sparkling wines. Sweet Riesling tends to have a high level of acidity, which cuts through the sweetness of desserts, making the dessert enjoyable all throughout the eating experience. It’s a good wine to balance the dessert, more specifically plain cheesecake.
2. Prosecco
Prosecco is a light and fizzy Italian wine that Is popularly known for its roles in Aperol Spritz and the famed brunch drink, Mimosa. Prosecco goes well with a number of dishes but it goes so well with cheesecake because its bright acidity and varying degrees of sweetness uplifts the creamy flavor of the cheesecake and enhances the usual subtle zing in cheesecake.
3. Sherry
Sherry is made with white grapes and practically goes well with any kind of dessert so it’s worth having this classic on the list. It has a opulent mahogany color and a smooth, velvety texture that helps the creamy texture go down well.
4. Moscato
Moscato is considered the winner wine option to go with cheesecake. This white wine is famous for its sweetness with notes of peach, orange blossom, and nectarine. Talk about the best notes to have with cheesecake. This refreshing, low alcohol and sweet wine makes it a perfect dessert wine to go with any kind of cheesecake.
5. Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is in between spicy and sweet. It has notes of lime, green apple, peach, and passion fruit. These notes and the ideal acidity of the wine can handle any type of topping on a classic cheesecake. Not only does it cut through the creaminess of the cheesecake but it also balances the fruity toppings a cheesecake can have.
6. Port
Port wine is one of the more popular dessert wines. It is sweet and even often integrated into desserts – even cheesecakes. Port Wine typically has notes of blackberry, caramel, raspberry, cinnamon, and chocolate sauce. These notes are making us salivate just thinking about it with cheesecake.
These notes counter the sweetness of the cheesecake with its idyllic acidity and it enhances the flavors of the cheesecake.
7. Shiraz
Shiraz is one of the most loved wines in the world. It is full-bodied with a dark color and it is often described as heavy and powerful. It has notes of pepper, dark fruit, violets, blackberry, blueberry, licorice, chocolate, herbs, and olives.
You might think that Shiraz doesn’t belong in a list of wines to pair with cheesecake but we kid you not, it’s one of the best to be paired with cheesecakes and desserts in general.
The licorice, berry and chocolate notes of Shiraz enhance the flavor of cheesecake. The full-bodied characteristic balances and cuts through the richness of the cheesecake making it great to wash it down.
