Food & Drinks
Wines Are Suddenly What’s for Dessert
Sweeter options like Madeira or Sauternes are popping up on restaurant menus, often as a substitute for a classic treats at meal’s end.
Dessert wines offer diners a chance to try a much older wine that’s within their price range.
Getty ImagesFor many years, if dessert wines got a reaction from most diners, it was a negative one: They were unsophisticated or too sweet.
Restaurants are now giving them another look. Only this time they’re placing Portuguese Madeira, French Sauternes and Hungarian Tokaji directly on the dessert menu and offering them by the glass. The wines can cut through the richness of a cake or crème brûlée, says Sydney Fusto, wine director at Manhatta, a New York restaurant from Union Square Hospitality Group.