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After-dinner sips

Lengthen your celebration with these dessert wines, liqueurs, and rich ales

by Thor Iverson

If the holidays are about anything, they're about comfort, and if beverages are to have any part in your holiday celebrations, then they should contribute to that comfort. Hot drinks -- made with coffee, chocolate, or something else -- are a classic way to warm the spirit. There's also a kinder, gentler world of beers beyond the yeasty-belch version so popular in America. And dessert wines or festive cordials and liqueurs are the perfect accompaniment to holiday sweets. So curl up in front of the fire with a big plate of calories and one of the luscious libations described below, and we promise you'll feel warm on the inside.

We'll start with the sweet stuff, though what we have in mind is definitely not for kids. Dessert wines are usually served alone, mostly because some of the key ingredients in desserts -- most significantly, chocolate -- clash with wine (though port and the sweeter sparkling wines hold up reasonably well). However, the holidays bring a range of desserts that don't rely on chocolate but on various types of sugar, spice, fruit, and pastry fillings. And for those kinds of sweets, dessert wines are a perfect fit.

One of the most refreshing and versatile dessert wines is the lightly sparkling Moscato d'Asti from Italy. Not to be confused with Asti or Asti Spumante, this is an easygoing party drink that works as an apéritif, a digestif, or an accompaniment to fruit desserts. Marty's Liquors (193 Harvard Avenue, Brighton, 617-782-3250) offers the 1996 Bera Moscato d'Asti for $16.99 and a half-bottle of the 1996 Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato d'Asti for $9.99, while Blanchards (103 Harvard Avenue, Allston, 617-782-5588) has the 1996 Viticoltori Dell'acquese Moscato d'Asti at the bargain price of $5.99, the 1996 Cristina Ascheri Moscato d'Asti for $13.99, and the 1996 Coppo Moncalvina Moscato d'Asti for $17.99. A shopping note: don't buy Moscato made before 1996, and serve it well chilled in shallow, wide glasses (the kind that are often inappropriately used for champagne).

Sauternes, the rich, honeyed, expensive dessert wine from France, has no equals. That hasn't stopped winemakers from trying, of course, and the results are often outstanding in their own way. The 1995 Peter Lehmann Botrytis Semillon Sauternes, from Australia ($9.99 in a half-bottle, at Marty's), is a delicious butterscotch and honeydew accompaniment to blue cheese or any dessert with oranges in it.

Most other so-called late-harvest dessert wines are an attempt to emulate the Sauternes style. When these wines are well made, they often show better with a little bottle age. A few good ones at Marty's (all are half-bottles) are the 1986 Blackwood Canyon Pinnacle ($18.99), the 1987 Da Vinci Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest Sierra Foothills ($9.99), and the 1991 Freemark Abbey Edelwein Gold Napa ($29.99, and one of the best). Blanchards offers the 1991 Rosenblum Concento d'Oro Napa ($18.99).

There are also plenty of newer dessert wines made in this style that are worth a look (all come in half-bottles, unless otherwise noted). At Marty's, you'll find the 1996 Giesen Riesling Late Harvest, from New Zealand ($15.99 for 500 ml); the 1996 Pellegrini Vineyards Finale ($23.99); the N.V. Germain-Robin Mistelle Dorée or Mistelle Rouge (a red dessert wine), both $14.99; the 1988 KWV Noble Late Harvest Coastal from South Africa ($10.99); and the N.V. Linden Late Harvest Vidal ($18.99). Blanchards has the 1993 Ca' Togni Sweet Red Wine ($26.99), the 1995 Chateau Benoit Sweet Sophia White Riesling ($14.99), and the 1994 Ravenswood Gewurztraminer Late Harvest ($21.99).

The key to matching these wines with your holiday desserts is noting the color and, if possible, the grape or grapes with which the wine was made. Red dessert wines will go well with red fruit desserts, and they're as good a match as you'll get with chocolate. White dessert wines made from riesling grapes will pair best with light cakes and pastries; sauvignon blanc and semillon wines will go better with fruit desserts and pastries; and gewurztraminer-based wines will go with spiced cookies and nut-based desserts.

Another popular dessert grape is muscat, made all over the world into fruity and sweet, yet light, wines. At Marty's, try the 1995 Quady Essensia Orange Muscat ($8.99); Blanchards has the lower-alcohol 1996 Quady Electra Orange Muscat in a full bottle for $16.99. Also try the 1996 Quady Elysium Black Muscat ($8.49), the 1996 Robert Pecota Moscato d'Andrea Muscat Canelli ($9.99), and the N.V. Yalumba Show Reserve Muscat ($14.99), all at Marty's. Blanchards has the 1996 Domaine de Fenouillet Muscat de Beaumes de Venise ($14.99 for 500 ml), the N.V. Kourtakis Samos from Greece ($8.49 in a full bottle), and the N.V. Val d'Orbieu Muscat de Jean-de-Minervois ($6.99). Muscat wines go well with brown-sugar and orange desserts, or anything with baked or caramelized sugar dominating the taste.

Real Porto can be almost as expensive as real Sauternes, but there's a wide range of inexpensive and delicious alternatives. Most are from Australia or South Africa (though the South African offerings are often offbeat beverages made in a port style, rather than actual port). The following examples all come in 750 ml bottles. At Marty's, the Yalumba Clocktower Tawny Port ($9.99), Old Cave McLaren Vale ($13.99), Seppelt Trafford Tawny Port Barossa Valley ($12.99), and Hardy's Whiskers Blake Tawny Port ($11.99), all from Australia, have a wonderful maple-syrup-and-roasted-nut character that makes them wonderful with molasses- and syrup-based desserts and nuts.

The South African Vuurtoren Rare Tawny Port ($11.99), from Marty's, and the KWV Ruby Port ($7.99) and 1992 KWV Vintage Port ($15.99), from Blanchards, are similarly styled, as is the Greek Kourtakis Mavrodaphne of Patras, ($7.49 at Blanchards). The 1994 Rooiberg Cellars Jerepíko ($11.99 at Blanchards) is a decidedly different drink that recalls cloves, prunes, and coffee; it will work best with some of the more elaborate cookies, and also with chocolate. For an even stranger portlike experience, head back to Marty's for a bottle of the N.V. Les Clos de Paulilles Banyuls ($19.99), a chocolatey red dessert wine that is probably best with sticky (and warm) fruit desserts. It doesn't really go with chocolate.

Germany is renowned for making outstanding dessert wines, and Blanchards has two reasonable deals in the 1993 Weingut Gugen Müller Forster Ungeheur Riesling Beerenauslese ($25.99) and the 1989 Weingut Krughof Bornheimer Kirchenstück Ruländer Trockenbeerenauslese ($24.99). These are decadent wines (both are 375 ml bottles) that should be cellared for a decade and then consumed with plain white-sugar cookies. Italian Vin Santo also goes well with those cookies, or with biscotti and nut-based cookies; Marty's has a 1992 Pasolini Vin Santo for $19.99, and Blanchards sells the 1987 Badia a Coltibuono Vin Santo for $20.99 and the 1992 Villa La Selva Vin Santo for $21.99. Hungary's famous dessert wine, Tokaji, goes with all these things, too, and Blanchards has the 1989 Gólya Tokaji Aszú 6 puttonyos for $21.99. With ice cream (because it's too sweet for almost anything else), try the 1990 José Maria de Fonseca Moscatel de Setúbal ($9.99 at Blanchards).

Finally, if the wine is to be the dessert, ethereal ice wine (made from grapes frozen on the vine) is the best choice. German and Canadian ice wines can be prohibitively expensive, but Blanchards carries a Washington State version (the 1995 Columbia Crest Ice Wine Columbia Valley, $25.99 in a half-bottle) that makes for luxurious sipping. From California comes a "faux" ice wine (the grapes are actually frozen in a freezer) that still manages to be delicious: the N.V. Bonny Doon Vin de Glaciere ($16.99).

Moving slightly away from wine, Marty's also features the Bonny Doon Framboise (raspberry) and Fraise (strawberry) "fruit wines" for $11.99 each. These aren't the light, cloying fruit wines you may be used to; they're thick, incredibly rich dessert beverages that can be sipped with fruit tarts or poured over ice cream, cheesecake, and pie. Also at Marty's, French versions from Château Monet (Liqueur Framboise, $13.99), Lucien Jacob (Crème de Framboise, $19.99), Jean de Dijon (Crème de Framboise, Crème de Pêches, and Liqueur de Fraise, all $19.99), and Trenel (Framboise de Bourgogne, $33.99) are a more refined alternative -- as are Blanchards' half-bottles from Mathilde (Framboise de Landes, Poires d'Anjou, Pêches de Vigne, all $12.99).

Also from France, the well-known crème de cassis falls into the "almost a fruit wine" category. Marty's stocks excellent examples from Cartron ($20.99) and Domaine Sathenay ($8.99 for a half-bottle, $15.99 for a whole bottle), and Blanchards sells the Mathilde Cassis de la Saintonge in a half-bottle for $12.99. It can be used in all the situations previously mentioned, and also as part of an apéritif known as kir. Originating in Burgundy, this refreshing drink is exceedingly simple to make: a splash of crème de cassis in a glass of white wine, and that's it. The traditional wine used is Bourgogne Aligoté, but since it isn't easily found here, just about any dry white wine that lacks overwhelming flavors (that means no chardonnay or gewurztraminer) will do.

A kir royale is crème de cassis with champagne (or another sparkling wine) instead of still wine. And, of course, any fruit liqueur can be substituted for the cassis, though too much sweetness can make the drink seem a little cloying; nut liqueurs are excellent substitutes because they possess an inherent bitterness.

Don't confuse these dark, sweet confections with the clear French eaux-de-vie called framboise or fraise. These are highly alcoholic products similar to grappa, and must be taken in very small quantities. Because of that, they work very well (used sparingly) to flavor just about any dessert, especially ice cream. They really hit their stride as an innovative addition to hot fruit and chocolate sauces, poured over cakes and pies. Many of the best examples of this style are from Alsace, and wine lovers will recognize the names of some of the producers. Marty's offers Trimbach Framboise and Prunelle Sauvage (prune) for $30.99; Schmidt Kirsch, Quetsch (plum), and Vieille Prune for $21.99; T. Meyer Fraise ($17.99); and Massenez Framboise and Kirsch for $39.99 each. There's also the more exotic Schmidt Celeri (celery) and Gingembre (ginger) for $23.99, Schmidt Myrtille (blueberry) for $29.99, and Baron de Braux Mirabelle (plum) for $29.99.

This sort of beverage can also be made directly from wine grapes; the Baron de Braux Bourgogne Chevillon ($29.99) and the Schmidt Marc d'Alsace Gewurztraminer ($21.99) are in this style. At Blanchards, Massenez Mirabelle ($29.99, or $15.99 for a half-bottle), Kirschwasser ($33.99), and Poire Williams (pear, $57.99) are also available, alongside two American offerings from Bonny Doon: Myrtille ($10.99) and Poire ($18.99). These eaux-de-vie are also incredibly popular in France as digestifs; if you're one of the lucky few who can develop a taste for them, then you'll have no problem finishing off the bottles.

Hot drinks are another way to lend holiday parties a warm, comforting aura. You don't need a lot of ingredients, either, because coffee and hot chocolate can be the bases for a wide range of alcoholic drinks. Two of the most popular additives, flavored brandies and schnapps, are well stocked in local liquor stores. At Marty's, for example, Leroux makes a series of flavored brandies in the $9.49-to-$19.99 range, including cherry, apricot, peach, coffee, blackberry, spiced blackberry, triple sec, crème de banane, crème de cacao, and crème de menthe.

Other good choices at Marty's include Goldschläger (a cinnamon-flavored beverage with gold flakes, $18.99), DeKuyper Hot Damn! (a hotter cinnamon schnapps, $10.99), Marie Brizard French brandies for $10.99 to $18.99 (crème de menthe, orange, orange Curaçao, cacao blanc, strawberry, crème de banane, peach, and apricot). Possibly the best matches, however, are Leroux butterscotch schnapps ($10.99) or, from Blanchards, Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur ($21.99). Licorice lovers will also want to try pastis (Marty's offers Ricard Pastis de Marseille for $23.99 and Pernod Spiritueux Anise for $19.99) or Ouzo; try Greek versions from Achaia Clauss ($17.99) and Cavino Ranios ($12.99).

Many of these additions will also go well with coffee, as will more classic sippers like Di Saronno Amaretto ($24.99 for a liter), Francesca Hazelnut ($9.99), Frangelico ($18.99), Grand Marnier ($24.99), Kahana Royale Macadamia ($15.99), Bailey's Irish Cream ($25 for a liter), and Kahlúa Licor de Café ($21.99). Try combinations of these liqueurs for better effect. And top it all off with some flavored cherries; Marty's stocks the Grey Goose brand, in six-ounce jars flavored with lime, raspberry, cassis, orange, lemon, and classic maraschino, $1.99 each. Don't forget the whipped cream, cinnamon sticks, and cloves.

Another favorite hot drink for the holidays is hot buttered rum; put brown sugar in a mug, add boiling water until the mug is two-thirds full, then add a tablespoon of butter and two ounces of dark rum. Stir and sprinkle with nutmeg, cloves, or cinnamon.

Finally, beer lovers don't have to be left out. Marty's and Blanchards both offer an extensive selection of Belgian lambics, rich Belgian ales aged and/or baked with sugar, fruit, and other additives to create unique brewed beverages. Look for Lindemans and Timmermans for classically styled lambics such as gueuze and kriek ($5.99). Or try Chapeau lambics for more adventurous, nontraditional choices like pineapple, peach, raspberry, and banana (also $5.99). An even better choice is the grandfather of all such beverages, mead. Chaucer's still makes a delicious version, sold at Marty's for $9.99 in a 750 ml bottle. And Blanchards offers Bunratty Meade for $12.99 and a 1.5 liter bottle of Chaucer's for $20.99.

Thor Iverson is a wine critic for the Boston Phoenix.