Dessert wines come in all shapes, sizes, colors, intensities, and prices. From thick, aromatic vintage ports to half-bottles of Sauternes with their honeyed sweetness, to fizzy moscatos, there's something for everybody. This year I'm going to make it a point to try some new dessert wines, because they are so often the perfect thing to top off a weeknight meal or a special dinner.My first find for the year is the 2007 Innocent Bystander Muscat ($9.99/375ml, domaine547). What a great dessert wine, with its beautiful pink color and aromas of juicy peach and strawberry. You pop the crown cap on this little bottle, and everything about the experience is light, summery, refreshing, and fun. The flavors keep up this playful spirit, continuing with the peach and strawberry but adding some clementine to add some zing and freshness. This is a dessert wine that retains its crispness, and is not too sweet. For $9.99 this is a perfect wine to share with someone you love in the evening, or drink over several nights by yourself. I used a champagne stopper to seal in the bubbles and it remained pleasant to drink over the course of three evenings. Excellent QPR, with its great balance between sweetness and crispness and its fruity flavors.
You don't really need to eat anything with this wine, since it's going to satisfy all your post-dinner urges for something sweet and indulgent. But if you must, have it with a dark chocolate dessert, or with something very simple like madeleines, shortbread, or a bowl of berries.
