Sweet fortified

Sweet fortified wines with spirit warmth, dried fruit, and long finish.

• Blue cheese

  Classic

  Port with Stilton works on the same principle, with spirit warmth added to the sweetness.

• Chocolate desserts

  Classic

  A wine must be sweeter than the dessert or it tastes thin; fortified sweetness and dried fruit meet chocolate's intensity.

• Hard aged cheese

  Solid

  Sweetness against salt is a contrast pairing rather than a match — and one of the most satisfying.

• Duck

  Adventurous

  With a fruit-glazed duck, a sweet fortified wine matches the glaze rather than fighting it.

Pairing suggestions are editorial, drawn from established convention rather than measurement.