What wine goes with dessert? Our pairings from chocolate to fruit
167 wines to serve with dessertWith dessert, serve a wine at least as sweet as the dish: Moscato d'Asti for fruit, Tokaji or sweet Riesling for tarts, Port or Recioto for chocolate. This simple rule preserves all the brightness and fruit of the wine.
For a light dessert or a fruit salad, bubbles such as extra dry Prosecco bring freshness and finesse. Our selection brings together sweet wines from Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Germany and South Africa, to go with every pastry. Explore all our sweet wines too.
Château de Sárospatak - Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos 2002
A great sweet Tokaji with a unique and confidential vintage
Sutto - Prosecco Spumante Millesimé Extra Dry
A perfect companion for summer aperitifs or for making Spritz!
Etchart - Cosecha Tardia Torrontés 2024
Late-harvest Torrontés, lychee and honey, for dessert or spicy food.
Cave des Amandiers - Cuvée Safran 2011
Noble-rot grapes, thirteen years in wood, candied fruit and honey for a rare sweet wine.
Wittmann - Auslese Riesling 2022
Candied citrus, peach and honey, a Riesling Auslese whose acidity keeps it from becoming heavy.
Donald Ziraldo - Vin de Glace Vidal 2022
Mango, apricot and honey, an ice wine whose acidity keeps the sweetness from weighing it down.
Alheit Vineyards - Lost & Found Muscat d'Alexandrie 2019
Old-vine Muscat of Alexandria, white flowers and honey without any heaviness.
Pete's Pure - Moscato
Fine bubbles, peach and apricot, a light sweetness that stays lively on the finish.
Shaw & Smith - M3 Chardonnay 2023
This wine embodies Australian elegance, offering a refined and complex expression of the unique terroir of the Adelaide Hills.
Charles de Fère - Crémant de Bourgogne Chardonnay Brut Grande Cuvée
A crémant made entirely from Chardonnay: white flowers, green apple, a fine, long mousse.
Château de la Roulerie - Coteaux du Layon Le P’tit Layon Blanc 2022
Peach, honey and honeysuckle, a tender Layon whose acidity keeps it far from heaviness.
Carpineto - Vinsanto Farnito
Dried fig, honey and toasted almond: the quintessential Tuscan meditation wine.
Quinta do Vallado - Porto Tawny 20 ans
A 20 year old Tawny Port, complex, aromatic and long in the mouth.
Domaine Dubois - Vosne-Romanée Chalandins 2022
Vosne-Romanée Aux Chalandins: black cherry and violet on a silky frame.
Domaine Dubois - Nuits-Saint-Georges Rouge 2023
Blackcurrant and black cherry with a hint of tobacco: Nuits-Saint-Georges in its structured style.
Santa Margherita - Spumante Rosé
Fine bubbles, red fruit and a hint of toast for the aperitif.
Santa Rita - Secret Reserve Carmenere 2024
Plum, blackberry and roasted coffee: a deep Carménère with polished tannins.
Dolce - Late Harvest 2021
A Napa sweet wine born of noble rot, candied apricot, honey and caramel.
Diemersfontein - Carpe Diem Pinotage 2021
Top-of-the-range Pinotage from Wellington, roasted coffee and ripe plum, polished tannins.
Decoy - Sparkling Cuvee Brut
Fine bubbles from Sonoma, green apple and brioche: a lively brut to open the meal.
Which wine for which dessert?
Chocolate, fruit, creams or puff pastry: each family of desserts has its own style of wine. Here are our pointers.
| Dessert | Wines to choose | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Dark chocolate fondant, chocolate cake, chocolate mousse | Vintage or LBV Port, Recioto della Valpolicella | The dark fruit and power of a sweet red answer the bitterness of cocoa. |
| Red berries strawberry tart, fraisier, pavlova | Moscato d'Asti, sparkling Nebbiolo rosé | Light bubbles and crunchy fruit extend the freshness of the berries. |
| Apples and pears tarte tatin, crumble, poached pears | Tokaji, late-harvest Riesling | The candied fruit notes and acidity of the wine echo the caramelised fruit. |
| Creams and caramel crème brûlée, floating island, crème caramel | Tawny Port, Madeira | The wine's aromas of walnut, caramel and vanilla embrace the cream. |
| Citrus lemon tart, lemon cheesecake, sorbet | Sweet Riesling from Germany or Austria, Moscato d'Asti | The acidity of Riesling answers that of the citrus and lightens the sugar. |
| Nuts and dried fruit walnut tart, iced nougat, financiers | Aged tawny Port, Pedro Ximénez | Notes of fig, date and toasted walnut are found in the glass. |
| Brioche and festive cakes panettone, galette des rois, kougelhopf | Extra dry Prosecco, Moscato d'Asti | Delicate bubbles and a touch of sweetness for a light, buttery dough. |
| Tropical fruit mango salad, roast pineapple, passion fruit tart | Malvasia delle Lipari Passito, Vin de Constance | The wine's apricot and tropical fruit aromas extend those of the dessert. |
For a very sweet dessert, go one step up in the sweetness of the wine: the pairing then gains in balance.
Moscato, Tokaji, Port: three pillars
Our take: with dessert, freshness matters as much as sweetness. The Moscato d'Asti from Torelli proves it: delicately sparkling, scented with white peach and orange blossom, it goes with tarts and fruit salads with remarkable lightness.
For richer desserts, two countries dominate our selection. Hungary first, with Furmint-based Tokajis, whose vibrant acidity balances a tarte tatin or a crème brûlée. Then Portugal, with the Ports from Quinta do Vallado: a Vintage or an LBV for dark chocolate, a tawny for caramel and walnut desserts. And for an Italian touch, the Recioto from Zeni, made from dried Corvina grapes, enhances a chocolate fondant.
Three indulgent pairings
Chocolate fondant and Recioto della Valpolicella. The candied cherry of the wine meets the intensity of cocoa.
Tarte tatin and Tokaji. Caramelised apple and dried apricot, a truly indulgent match.
Galette des rois and extra dry Prosecco. Fine bubbles against the buttery frangipane.
The Wine Wanderer Team
Your questions about wine and desserts
What wine goes with chocolate desserts?
With a chocolate dessert, serve a sweet or fortified red: Vintage Port, LBV Port or Recioto della Valpolicella. Their dark fruit and structure answer the bitterness of cocoa. For milk chocolate or a light mousse, a tawny Port, with notes of hazelnut and caramel, offers a more delicate pairing.
What wine goes with fruit tart?
With a fruit tart, choose a sweet, fresh white wine, such as a Moscato d'Asti or a late-harvest Riesling. For an apple or pear tart, a Tokaji brings notes of candied fruit. With red berries, a sparkling rosé brings out the freshness of the fruit.
White or red wine with dessert?
Sweet white wine suits most desserts, particularly fruit, creams and pastries. Red finds its place with chocolate, in its sweet or fortified form, such as Port or Recioto. Against a sweet dessert, a dry red seems austere; a sweet wine, on the contrary, keeps all its fruit.
What wine to serve with strawberries?
With strawberries, serve a sparkling wine: Champagne, Prosecco or a sparkling Nebbiolo rosé. The bubbles and freshness highlight the fruit with lightness. A Moscato d'Asti also works wonderfully with a strawberry salad or a fraisier. Find our advice in the article Champagne and strawberries.
At what temperature should dessert wine be served?
Serve white dessert wines between 6 and 10 °C: Moscato d'Asti and Prosecco at around 6 to 8 °C, Tokaji and sweet Riesling at around 10 °C. Tawny Ports are served at around 12 to 14 °C, Vintage and LBV Ports at around 16 °C. A bottle that is too warm feels heavy: remember the ice bucket.
What wine goes with galette des rois?
With a frangipane galette des rois, an extra dry Prosecco or a Moscato d'Asti makes a light, festive pairing. Their fine bubbles lighten the buttery puff pastry. For a richer version, a Tokaji or a white Port served chilled goes with the almond notes with great elegance.