Tarte Tatin pairs best with sweeter dessert style wines, such as, Sauternes, Late Harvest Riesling, and Quarts de Chaume.

Tarte Tatin is a classic French dessert that features caramelized apples baked in a buttery, flaky shortcrust or puff pastry crust. It’s a delicious and decadent treat that’s perfect for special occasions or as a sweet ending to a meal.  Think of Tarte Tatin as an upside down apple tart.

Working in French Restaurants, I’ve had the luxury to enjoy a lot of Tarte Tatin and experiment with a wide variety of pairings.  Below are many of my favourites!

Best Wine with Tarte Tatin

Quarts de Chaume

Pros:

  • Rich, Luscious & Silky

  • Notes of Honey, Peach, Pear, Apple and Quince

  • Acidity cuts through buttery crust

Cons:

  • Expensive

  • Might be hard to hunt down

Quarts de Chaume is a prestigious and highly sought-after dessert wine that is produced in the Loire Valley region of France. Made from the Chenin Blanc grape variety, Quarts de Chaume is known for its rich and intense flavour profile, which combines candied fruit, ginger, honey, and mineral notes followed up with crisp acidity.

Quarts de Chaume complements the apples in Tarte Tatin with the wine’s candied flavours of apple, peach, pear and figs. Meanwhile, there is a nuttiness to Quarts de Chaume that is exceptional with Tarte Tatin, as the flavours of hazelnut and almond marry well with the autumn apple flavours.

Finally, Quarts de Chaume has plenty of acidity to balance out the richness of the buttery pastry crust.

Sauternes

Pros:

  • Sweet, Rich, Luxurious

  • Apricot, Peach, Pineapple, Caramel, Nuts and Dried Fruit Flavours

  • Tastes like Heaven!  A little sip goes a long way!

Cons:

  • Expensive (but worth every penny)

Sauternes is a sweet dessert wine from the Bordeaux region of France. It’s made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes that have been affected by a fungus called botrytis, also known as noble rot. This fungus causes the grapes to shrivel and concentrate their sugars, resulting in a sweet, complex wine perfect for pairing with Tarte Tatin.

The sweetness of Sauternes complements the caramelized apples in the Tarte Tatin, while its acidity helps to cut through the buttery pastry crust. The wine also has notes of honey, nuts, apricot, and peach that pair well with the autumn flavours of the dessert.  Furthermore, you’ll find notes of caramel which is extra delicious with apple flavours.

Late Harvest Riesling

Pros:

  • High Acidity – Highlights Flavours

  • Apricot, candied lemon, ginger, & green apple

Late Harvest Riesling is a sweet style of Riesling produced in Canada (notably Niagara Ontario and British Columbia), and the Finger Lakes region of New York.

For an even better pairing, try a Riesling Ice Wine, which is twice as expensive, but offers even more complexity and concentrated flavours than a Late Harvest Riesling.  With Ice Wine or Eiswein, expect very sweet flavours of apple, apricot, ginger, honey, lemon and tropical fruit.  Also, expect to throw down a large sum of money to experience this glorious wine!

German Riesling is also exceptional with Tarte Tatin.  Beerneauslese springs to mind, with its full-bodied flavours of apple, apricot, honey, lime and papaya.  Auslese, which is sweet as well, will also work.

There is no shortage of sweet Riesling options with Tarte Tatin, which makes buying and experimenting with different types and labels a lot of fun!

Tawny Port

Pros:

  • Easy to Find.  Pricy, but not as Expensive as other wines listed.

  • Complementary Caramel Flavours

  • Delicious flavours of plum, raisin, apricot, & walnut

Cons:

  • High in Alcohol – but a little goes a long way!

Tawny Port makes for an amazing dessert wine when it comes to either fruity or nutty desserts.  Full-bodied and loud silky flavours of almond, brown sugar, caramel, coffee, toffee, and walnuts all blend well with the buttery pastry of your Tarte Tatin.  Meanwhile sweet, yet contrasting flavours of black cherry, raisin, and plum serve up plenty of refreshment with each bite of your dessert.

Tawny Port would not be my first selection to pair with Tarte Tatin as there are a lot darker fruit flavours that somewhat contrast the apple flavours of Tarte Tatin.  However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and the pairing does taste delicious.