1st Annual Independent Food Festival and Awards: Best Under-the-Radar Dessert Wine, Starting to Gain Popularity

I love dessert. I trust I'm not alone in the adoration of a sweet finish to a superb meal.

I also love fine wine and spirits. I equally trust that I'm not alone on this score either.

For some reason, however, the two have never intermingled well in my book. Most dessert wines are cloying and reminiscent of honey - thick and gooey to the last drop. Not exactly the way I want to celebrate the conclusion of a lovely dinner. How about you?

Now, in sharp contrast to most dessert wines, I'm usually more than delighted to opt for Champagne or its less expensive Northern Italian cousin Prosecco alongside a cookie plate or slice of cake. But, more and more, I am happy to report that the light, fizzy Piedmontese dessert wine Moscato d'Asti, brimming with floral notes, melon and lychee, is turning up on after-dinner menus and in sophisticated liquor stores across the country. It is a gorgeous, refreshing drink that compliments subtle desserts brilliantly.

This is all well and good, but what if I'm not looking for subtlety in my dessert? What if I desire something intense at the meal's close? Chocolate? Strawberries? Cherries?

This is where the "other" dessert wine of Piedmont comes in - Brachetto d'Acqui. Still relatively off-the-radar in the U.S., Brachetto d'Acqui is beginning to gain some notice among Italian wine fans, usually under the Rosa Regale label, imported by Banfi Vintners (pictured below).

Its ruby red color, containing bubbles galore and topped with pink foam upon pouring, almost inspires giggles. A red sparkling wine? Low alcohol (7%)? Are you sure this stuff isn't from a box - or a can? It seems so lowbrow. Are you sure that this isn't something cooked up by Bartles & Jaymes?

But, take in its bouquet and your nose will be filled with hints of rose petals, cotton candy, rasperries and cherries. One sip and you can't help yourself - You're smiling. One bite of a chocolate souffle or a chocolate-covered strawberry followed by a sip of Brachetto d'Acqui and you can't help yourself - You're moaning with delight.

Bartles & Jaymes never did that for me. How about you?

And, so, I think this award is well-earned. My hope for Brachetto d'Acqui is that you think so too - and start insisting that your local restaurants and liquor stores start carrying this bright, sweet, deep cherry, fragrant, sparkling delight.

P.S. To learn about the 1st Annual Independent Food Festival and Awards and check out the other category winners visit Taste Everything.