Dessert wines were probably the first wines we all started matching with food. I can vividly remember tasting my first glass as a student, dining in reverence at the then-famous Ménage à Trois in London's Beauchamp Place. It was a Muscat de Beaumes de Venise and it was absolutely sensational to my uneducated palate at the tender age of 18.

Now is no different. We have an abundance of dessert wines available in the market with an incredible range of flavours and styles from every winemaking country in the world. There is also a great range of bottle sizes, which helps when making sales.

The opportunities available to restaurants are abundant and a simple foil for great flavour matching. Once introduced to our enthusiastic clients, a dessert wine is rarely forgotten, and you have a fan for life.

At Northcote we are fortunate to have a great range of 20 half-bottles from £13, eight full bottles from £19 and a tidy 11-strong range of 50cl bottles, which are a handy size. This range covers wines of all styles from 11 different countries.

Traditional puddings are ideal for some cracking combinations. There are few wine combinations that stir the levels of taste like Andrew Quady's Essensia Orange Muscat from the USA matched with a classic bread and butter pudding.

Listing wines by the glass alongside the dessert menu is simple, and it works really well in any environment. We have devised a system, no doubt highly illegal, of selling small 100ml glasses of dessert wine, which makes most wines affordable and is a size that is a perfect partner.

The big stickies are always popular. The delights of a glass of Pedro Ximenez sherry over a bowl of vanilla ice-cream or as an accompaniment to the infamous sticky toffee pudding are well documented. There are, however, other options available to small independent restaurants without buying loads of extra bottles. We use LBV Ramos Pinto port with chocolate and nut-based desserts, along with some exceptional Madeiras - always a wine to bear in mind, particularly with reference to its shelf life.

Dessert wines with puds, alternatives with cheese, are a fantastic enhancement to any dining experience and a further increase in spend towards our cellar funds. Take up the challenge and expand your thinking with pudding wines - there are plenty of great-quality wines available. If they become an area of focus, priced at an affordable point with a sensible measure, these delightful wines will truly be consumed with thanks and regularity.

Bancroft's 10 best dessert matches

• Essensia Orange Muscat, Andrew Quady, California Bread and butter pudding and anything chocolate.
• Sauvignon Blanc, Late Harvest Semi Dulce, Bornes, Spain Light and fresh. Great with delicate desserts.
• Maury, Domaine du Trapadis, France Big, rich Grenache; superb with coffee and chocolate desserts with red fruits.
• Pedro-Ximenez San Emilio, Emilio Lustau It only needs vanilla ice-cream to be one of the best pudding combinations ever. Try it; you'll think you've died and gone to heaven.
• Ramos Pinto LBV Port You will be surprised what port will match up to. Anything nutty and rich works.
• Louis Roederer Rich, Reims, France The greatest dessert Champagne for me; subtle, delicate and sophisticated; great with an apple crumble soufflé.
• Coteaux du Layon, Saint-Aubin de Luigne, Dom des Forges, France Brilliant with tarte tatin and all caramel-based desserts.
• A Sauternes that suits your list in terms of price Suits spicy, honey-based desserts with style and texture (you can't beat the classics).
• Madeira Boal Colheita Cask 81A, Vinhos Barbeito The Madeiras in this range are stunning and have many options. They also have a long shelf life.
• Tokaji Aszu, 5 Puttonyos, Oremus, Hungary Wonderful wines that are superb with creamy, sweet puds, which can be difficult to match.

Craig Bancroft is co-proprietor of Northcote Manor hotel in Langho, Lancashire