Dessert
Crème brûlée
A sweet, round and fresh wine to accompany the cream, vanilla and caramel without weighing down the dessert.
The pairing
Why it
works.
Crème brûlée marries a rich, creamy texture, the sweetness of vanilla and the faintly bitter notes of caramelized sugar. The wine needs to be sweet enough to hold up to the dessert, while retaining enough freshness to lift the cream.
Sweet, fresh white wines work especially well here. Gently sweet bubbles can also offer an interesting contrast to the creamy texture, while notes of ripe fruit, honey or candied citrus pair nicely with the caramel.
In practice
With crème brûlée, look for a balance between sweetness and freshness. The wine must be able to match the dessert's sugar, but good acidity is essential to avoid a heavy pairing after a few bites.
In the glass
What to
look for.
The LPV selection
Four bottles
for this dish.
A selection chosen from our bottle library based on their profile and affinity with this dish.
We don’t have an alcohol-free bottle to recommend with this dish yet. Our selection is growing.
What to avoid
Completely dry wines, tannic reds and very oaked wines. When served with the cream and caramel, they can seem austere or bitter.
When serving
Serve the wine at about 8–10 °C. This coolness creates a pleasant contrast with the cream while leaving enough room for the aromas of ripe fruit and honey.