Which wines to pair with summer fruit desserts?

Fresh marinated fruit

Strawberries are the first fruit to announce the arrival of summer. For Véronique, they mean strawberry soup with mint and a sprinkling of Javanese long pepper seeds

And her personal touch ?

“A dash of Gabriel Meffre Saint-François organic red Côtes du Rhône to add notes of blackcurrant and spices to the juice.”

With peaches, she particularly likes to macerate them for one to two hours in the fridge, with a little bit of rosé or white wine, such as Sauvignon, and some light brown cane sugar, as well as a few basil leaves. The idea is to allow the various aromas to find their way into the fruit and make the juice incredibly tasty.

After cutting the fruit into pieces, I serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, accompanied with a ;Château Grand Escalion Amoureuse rosé. It’s an absolute treat!

It’s all about playing with the associations of aromas, including notes of fresh herbs, peaches and flowers.

Next is a dessert that is a guaranteed success with her guests: melon with raspberries and Muscat de Beaumes de Venise.

“I cut a melon in half, fill it with raspberries that I froze beforehand, and cover the raspberries with Laurus Muscat de Beaumes de Venise. The aromas of the Muscat are gently released into the melon as the raspberries thaw.”

The sweetness and power of the Muscat, combined with the tangy raspberries, produces a finish in the mouth that increases the feeling of freshness.

Sweet cooked fruit

When apricots come into season, Véronique likes to serve them roasted with rosemary and almond powder. “The Gabriel Meffre Saint-Vincent Côtes du Rhône rosé superbly accompanies this dessert, as it is a fairly fresh and airy wine. It lightens the sweet and concentrated side of the roast apricot, while its floral aromas offset the slight acidity of the fruit.”

Do you have a few figs that need to be finished before they go off? Here is a simple and delicious tip. Simply place a very ripe fig on a slice of French toast and bake them in the oven for a few minutes. In terms of a pairing,

“a Gabriel Meffre Saint Joseph red, with fresh and mineral Syrah, lightens the sweetness of this dessert, giving a spicy finish in the mouth”

Véronique tells us.

Lastly, plums offer a combination of authenticity and elegance, in a mirabelle or damson plum tart, with a golden sweet shortcrust pastry, sprinkled with fine semolina:

“the Domaine de Longue Toque white Côtes du Rhône adds just the right touch of minerality to the concentrated sweetness of the plum and the juice-filled semolina. It balances out the richness of the dessert, making it more airy, while accentuating the smoothness of the fruit.”

And here is the last recommendation from our expert for a perfect tasting! The rule concerning serving temperature remains the same throughout the year: it should not exceed 13 or 14 degrees. In summer, white and rosé wines should be kept in an ice bucket, while red wines should be chilled in the fridge for a short time, if necessary, and then placed on the table to allow their temperature to gradually rise.