Some combinations are just made for each other—peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper…how about brownie and Barbera?

Well, as my husband and I discovered on a recent evening at The Cellar Wine Bar, it’s truly a wonderful duo.

After making our way to a table fireside, a group of women laughed heartily over their half-empty glasses of wine—unaware of the contrast between their warm spirits and the frigid, almost freezing, weather outside.

We warmed up by devouring the three cheese mac and cheese appetizer, which, I never would have guessed, turned out to be entirely gluten-free.

After studying the tapas-style menu, we ordered both a prosciutto and pear pizza and the charcuterie plate. The chewy crust, decadence of the truffle oil, and juxtaposition of the sweet pear and savory Gorgonzola made us wonder why we don’t order this pie combination more often. The highlight of the meal, however, was the charcuterie. Ours included Gorgonzola dolce from Italy, Domaine de Vallage triple cream Brie from France, prosciutto from Italy, bread, quince paste, green apple slices and more.

Double Fudge Brownie

Photography by Dante Fontana, © Style Media Group.

Most of our dining fun came from building different arrangements of flavors, and then pairing those with either my Foris Gewurztraminer, or my husband’s beer selection of Delirium Tremens. My personal favorite was a green apple smothered with Brie and quince paste; the Brie melted into a creamy mess, and with the crisp apple and fruity quince paste, it tasted like dessert.

But you won’t want to miss the real dessert. There’s an amazing homemade brownie topped with rose petal whipped cream and caramel sauce. Our recommendation is to get it with the Roxo Barbera dessert wine.

You could go with a traditional Port, but the fudge-like brownie (with chewy caramelized edges) is even better with the dryer, full-bodied Barbera that helps to counteract the sweetness.

Another great pairing we discovered? The Cellar Wine Bar and Saturday night—definitely worth a try!

The Cellar Wine Bar, 727 Sutter Street, Suite B, Folsom, 916-293-9332, thecellarwinebar.com.