From the frothiest fizz to the stickiest sauternes, these are the best pudding wines that’ll elevate your cakes, according to the Mail on Sunday’s drinks expert Olly Smith.
Asda Extra Special Asti (7%, 75cl), £6, asda.com
Does anybody still drink Asti? Yes – me. Asti is astonishing value for money and this one tastes like wine’s version of sparkling elderflower. It’s sweet, frothy, simple fun that, served chilled with the first strawberries of the season, is hard to beat. Dive in deep – I’ll go first.
Morrisons The Best Botrytis Semillon 2014 (11%, 37.5cl), £7.25, morrisons.com
Outrageously decadent, this is silk for a polyester price. Imagine molten Starburst (Opal Fruits to you and me) bursting from a mango volcano and you’re close to the dazzling sweetness of this Aussie beauty. With a slice of cake, it’s an eruption of indulgence.
Lidl Malaga Virgen Moscatel (15%, 50cl), £6.99, lidl.com
Wine’s answer to marmalade, this is an absolute steal. Get your nose in there and it leaps out of the glass like an orange barley sugar on a pogo stick. It’ll work a treat with apple crumble or just alongside a square of dark chocolate. Stick it in the fridge on permanent stand-by.
Red fizz? Have I gone off my rocker? On the contrary; I’m ordering a case of this stuff to get my summer started. Think of it as a chilled glass of blackcurrant sorbet and all will be right with the world. It’s wild, wonderful and thrilling. Serve as a pre-pudding palate cleanser.
Waitrose Château Suduiraut 2011 Sauternes (13.3%, 37.5cl), £15.99, waitrose.com
This is top-drawer sticky booze from Bordeaux. It’ll keep for months in a cool dark place but it’s so scrumptious you won’t be able to resist. Sweet as an apricot and luscious as honey, it’s a slice of heaven served lightly chilled with a simple fruit salad.
