ISO Recommendations - Wine with Dessert

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Plain cheese cake, no fruit, peanut butter, chocolate, ect {that will make a difference}...

If its Plain I would do a pinot gris, if you like pinot, or maybe a portuguese red..

If you are adding fruit or candy flavors to the cheese cake then it could change the wine reco a lot...

When it comes to wine and cheese its not super hard to pick a pair, when you add other flavors it gets tougher, I really can't think of many wines that won't go with a nice brown crust plain cheese cake, I have had it with everything from port to sparkling and it all worked..
 
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I have to disagree with the dry wine recommendations. In general, any wine you serve with dessert should be sweeter than the dessert you are pairing it with. Wine is an acidic drink and dry wine will usually end up tasting even more tart and bitter on your palate when following a bite of something sweet. Fortunately cheesecake isn't normally super sweet so it isn't that difficult.

You don't mention the specific flavor of cheesecake, but if it's plain or lemon, Late Harvest Riesling would pair beautifully. My second choice would be Canadian or Finger Lakes Ice Wine.

If it's a chocolate cheesecake (or chocolate anything ), then you can't go wrong with Bracchetto d'Aqui, which is a red sparkling wine from the Piedmont region of Italy. Brands like Banfi Rosa Regale are fairly common and can be readily found in the sparkling wine section. You could also go with a Ruby Port.
 
Moscato d'asti. I like Saracco the best.

I was also going to suggest a Sauternes. While I don't personally care for them, lots of others do, including my DH.

Also, if it's plain or chocolate, nothing like a glass of Amaretto di Saranno, even though it's not a wine.
 
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I think my brain just goes for the lower acidity wines with a creamy or cheesy desert... I like the pinot gris, grey Oregon grapes {not to be confused with a grigio, Italy}. Low acid and friendly with deserts. I went and looked in my cellar I have 5 brands and a few bottles of each all from Oregon- Ponzi, elk cove, Portlandia, Archery Summit, and La Crema {actually that one is california I believe}... They are very affordable, think the most expensive bottle of Oregon white wine I ever seen was $50, most are around $15-$25

I am not crazy about the moscatos, sweet and sparkling wines, my wife and her friends do enjoy them, I think the bubbles tickle their noses, lol...
 
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Oops, I forgot. I recently had a multi-course wine pairing with a dinner out and for a sweet desert with chocolate I had a glass of Greystone Merlot. I was extremely pleasantly surprised with how it paired up.
 
I think my brain just goes for the lower acidity wines with a creamy or cheesy desert... I like the pinot gris, grey Oregon grapes {not to be confused with a grigio, Italy}. Low acid and friendly with deserts. I went and looked in my cellar I have 5 brands and a few bottles of each all from Oregon- Ponzi, elk cove, Portlandia, Archery Summit, and La Crema {actually that one is california I believe}... They are very affordable, think the most expensive bottle of Oregon white wine I ever seen was $50, most are around $15-$25

I am not crazy about the moscatos, sweet and sparkling wines, my wife and her friends do enjoy them, I think the bubbles tickle their noses, lol...

I've been a home winemaker for about 15 years now (mostly Washington and California grapes) and teach wine classes as well - including a food pairing class. I try to guide people in their selections, but I also make a point to emphasize that there really is no right or wrong, as long as you enjoy what you are drinking. Cheers!
 
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I've been a home winemaker for about 15 years now (mostly Washington and California grapes) and teach wine classes as well - including a food pairing class. I try to guide people in their selections, but I also make a point to emphasize that there really is no right or wrong, as long as you enjoy what you are drinking. Cheers!

Cheers!

I also make my own wines, but being honest, I am not very good at it, comparatively, that is. I get a $25 bottle and compare it to my own and... well lets just say the $25 bottle is worth the $25, lol.. I used to make my own beer and did a barrel of whiskey {shhh.. lol it will be ready in a decade or so...} too, I did a dandelion wine that was enjoyable last year, but I think its going to be my last batch. I used to do 50 growlers of beer every year for xmas presents, but when the true cooler I used to use threw a compressor I decided not to do it anymore...

I think with something like plain cheesecake, almost any wine will work... and I agree there is no right or wrong answer...
 
The drier the better...
NO! Eating something sweet with a dry wine will make the wine taste sour.


I agree with Steve about wine with dessert.

Traditionally in Europe you'd have been offered a sweet white with dessert - possibly Sauternes or a Tokay if you were in that price bracket. If we serve wine with dessert at home it tends to be a sweetish German wine with pudding - something like an Auslese which is not so tooth-achingly sweet or so expensive as Sauternes or Tokay. Having said that I'm not awfully keen on wine with pudding/dessert but that's a personal preference. I'd rather have a liqueur with my coffee.

If the meal is an adjunct to seduction of a lady (or a gentleman, for that matter) too much wine might not be a good idea - you don't want her/him passing out before the main event:chef:
 
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With Cheese Cake I would serve champagne. I'd also add some fresh raspberries to the dessert plate - just a few... as a nice foil for the dense dessert.
 
With Cheese Cake I would serve champagne. I'd also add some fresh raspberries to the dessert plate - just a few... as a nice foil for the dense dessert.

ah raspberries!!!!! that's good idea. Thank you!!
 

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