Fruit crumble

Fruit crumble

Assuming an apple or apple and blackberry crumble, served warm with custard or cream.

Crumble is sweet, but the fruit under the topping is sharp, so the wine has to be at least as sweet as the pudding and keep a bright acidity of its own. A dry wine tastes thin and sour beside it. The buttery, toasted topping and warm custard reward a wine with some richness and a baked apple or honeyed note.

Pairs Perfectly. Coteaux du Layon, Loire, France. Late harvested Chenin Blanc, honeyed and full of baked apple and quince, with the high acidity that keeps it fresh against tart fruit. Its richness sits comfortably with custard and a buttery topping.

Pairs Well. Noble Late Harvest Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch, South Africa. Honey, apricot and quince from grapes touched by noble rot, with a fresh edge that handles the fruit.

Pairs Well. Late harvest Riesling from the New World, New Zealand or Chile. Lime and apple over clean sweetness and sharp acidity, and the most affordable sweet wine here.

Worth Seeking Out

Moscatel de Setúbal, Portugal. A fortified Muscat with orange peel, honey and a note of cinnamon that runs straight into the spice of an apple crumble.

Avoid

Dry wine of any kind, and heavy, low acid sweet wines. A dry wine turns sour beside the pudding, and a sweet wine without acidity turns cloying against the fruit.

Failing That

A Monbazillac, Bergerac, France.

If All Else Fails

Moscato d'Asti, Piedmont.

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