Never Too Late

My husband (the pastry cook) and I have been thinking of keeping a diary that we will call “Late to the Party”—in recognition of our recent career changes. The diary would be a record of his desserts with my suggested wine pairings.

Last night we tried our first delicious entry—individual cheesecakes topped with a port wine and sour cherry reduction, paired with Cuvaison Espiritu 2005. This is a Napa Valley dessert wine made from Petite Sirah grapes in the style of a vintage port, whereby richly extracted grape must is fortified with brandy to arrest the fermentation, leaving a concentrated, sweet red wine.

Dessert wines in general are not ordinary wines and these are no ordinary cheesecakes. They are made with sour cream and cream cheese in roughly equal proportions and subtly flavored with vanilla beans. Think light, creamy, and not overly sweet.

The wine was a nice match, with a slight vanilla impression, jammy black fruit, full and sweet, but with good acidity and a touch of bitterness—kind of like the wine version of the cherry/port reduction.

The idea for our diary came to me during a late-night chat about having finally found our true passions in wine and food. We both agreed that even if you arrive late to a dinner party you can still be in time for dessert.

Tags: Dessert | wine