Dessert first? Yes, as long as it's wine
Summer is an ideal season to promote sweet wines. They accompany fresh fruit and dessert dishes magnificently but do not restrict the choice to the end of the meal. The key is to serve them really cold, so that any cloying stickyness disappears. Offer them by the glass and half-bottle perhaps advertised on a tent card and alongside particular dishes on menus and blackboards. Place a couple of bottles on the sweet trolley so that they catch customers' eyes. The richer wines benefit by ageing, so there is no danger of them having a short shelf life. A dessert wine can make a starter dish memorable. Try a honeyed middle-Loire Valley from the Chenin Blanc vine, known as Pineau de la Loire, with melon. The three districts to look for are Bonnezeaux (from Fesles and Godineau), Quarts de Chaume (producers like Baumard and Bellerive) and Coteaux du Layon (Cady, des Sablonnettes). Yapp Bros ships a good range (tel: 01747 860423). With a meat paté or foie gras, try a richer wine like Sauternes or Saussignac from the Dordogne. Clos d'Yvigne is one of the finest Saussignac wines. Made from a skilful blend of Semillon and Muscadelle by an English winemaker, Patricia Atkinson, it shows rich honey and apricot character (Justerini & Brooks, 020 7484 6400). A lesser known estate is Domaine Leonce Cuisset, whose 2001 is offered by Sainsbury's (£6.99 per half-litre). For many, Sauternes is "the" most famous sweet wine, made usually from Sauvignon and Semillon with a little Muscadelle. It is delicious with blue cheeses like Roquefort and Stilton. The best grapes are those affected by a special rot (botrytis cinerea) which causes the water in the grape to evaporate, leaving a really sticky, sweet grape for pressing. Apart from generic Sauternes, like Cordier's 1997 (M&S £8.99), try one of the estates from the classification set in 1855: in the first "growths" Chateau Climens, more floral Coutet, Guiraud or Suduiraut (whose 1996 and 1999 is offered in halves at Tesco, £19.99) or second tier like Doisy-Daene (which lies in the sub-district of Barsac) and Filhot. Outside Sauternes, but still within Bordeaux, there are cheaper sweet wines, usually labelled "moelleux", made in Cerons, Loupiac and St Croix du Mont. With a fresh fruit salad, look for a sweet citrus-style Australian Riesling, such as Clare Valley's Cordon Cut from Mount Horrocks or a German example from the Palatinate region (known on labels as Pfalz). The tongue-twisting Beerenauslese category has lovely balance of sweetness and acidity. Both the Co-op and Majestic offer half-bottles for about £5, which shows both the power of their buyers and how far German wines have fallen from popularity. With a syllabub, few can resist Cave Springs Riesling Indian Summer Late Harvest from Canada's Niagara Peninsula. The peachy 2000 is only £9.95 per half-bottle (Berry Bros & Rudd, 0870 900 4300). Alternatively, try a rich Vin Santo from late-harvested grapes in Italy. Liberty Wines has an extensive list (020 7720 5350). Edward VII was a fan of sweet wines, and society followed. It is not recorded if he enjoyed profiteroles but, as with tiramisu, sweet Grenache from Maury in the Roussillon region of south-west France would make a perfect partner either poured over or in a glass to accompany them. The top producers in this year's St Bacchus awards were 2000 Domaine Pouderoux and Mas Amiel Prestige 15-year-old. Finally, for a really rich sweet, try a Californian Muscat made by Andrew Quady, such a Elysium or Essencia, both £7.99 per half (Cockburns of Edinburgh). They make keen competition for Royal Tokaji's exquisite Hungarian barrel-aged wines, which are rightly enjoying a renaissance.
