Crème Brûlée

Crème Brûlée

Beneath the brittle caramel crust sits a rich, vanilla-scented custard, and the rule for sweet dishes is simple: the wine must be as sweet as the pudding or it will taste thin and sour. What you want is botrytis sweetness with enough acidity to cut the cream and a caramel echo for the burnt-sugar top. Avoid dry wines, which turn harsh against the sugar.

Pairs Perfectly

A Sauternes or Barsac, Bordeaux, France. Its honeyed apricot and marmalade depth matches the custard while the underlying acidity keeps the cream from cloying; a Monbazillac from Bergerac delivers the same botrytis logic at a fraction of the price.

Pairs Well

A Tokaji Aszu, Hungary. Hungary's great sweet wine brings searing acidity and dried-apricot concentration that lifts the whole dish.

A Vin Santo, Tuscany, Italy. Its nutty, caramelised character chimes directly with the burnt-sugar crust.

Avoid

Dry wines of any colour, which taste sour and metallic beside the sweetness.

Failing That

A Moscato d'Asti, Italy.

If All Else Fails

Pedro Ximenez Sherry, Jerez, Spain.

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