The principle is simple: the wine's sweetness should always match or exceed the dessert's sweetness, otherwise the wine tastes thin and sour. Sauternes — a botrytised wine from Bordeaux — is one of the world's great sweet wines and pairs beautifully with crème brûlée and fruity pastries. Germany's Trockenbeerenauslese is intensely sweet and complex, but production is rare. Sparkling sweet wines like Moscato d'Asti with their gentle bubbles and low alcohol are an accessible choice for fruit-based desserts. Chocolate desserts are challenging — choose a sweet red, for example Banyuls from southern France.