Three delicious, inventive, unique desserts and the sweet wines that love them.

Pastry chef Vicki Wells of Mesa Grill and Bolo restaurants in Manhattan finds inspiration in classic desserts, but she's no traditionalist. Rather, she's a genius at pulling the recipes apart and reassembling them in brand-new ways, in combinations that are uniquely her own. Take her bread pudding: She transforms the dessert by treating it almost like a molten chocolate cake and topping it with a luscious caramel-port sauce. Then there's her unusual Robiola cheesecake, with a flaky shortbread crust that's studded with chopped dried fruit. Here, we have matched each of her recipes with a lovely wine, following this cardinal rule: The wine should always be sweeter than the dessert.
—Kate Heddings

Published October 2003