What is dessert wine?

Originating from various regions worldwide, dessert wines are typically sweet and often have a higher alcohol content. They range from fortified wines like Port and Sherry to late-harvest wines, and even include unique creations like ice wine. Despite their sweetness, dessert wines are incredibly diverse, offering a spectrum of flavours from the rich and opulent to the light and fruity.

Dessert wine is often a category of wine that’s overlooked, but when you taste one, it’s oh so delicious. These are wines with a sweet taste derived from natural grape sugars. Rich, sumptuous and mouth-filling dessert wines are usually white and are highly concentrated both in sweetness and freshness.

What types of wines are classified as dessert wines?

Wines considered worthy of the dessert category include:

Fortified: Fortified wines are made by adding spirit, usually brandy, to wine before or after fermentation. While fortified is a category all its own, many are made uber sweet, and thus are classed as dessert fortifieds. These include sweet sherry (like pedro ximinez), sweet port, madeira, marsala, Rutherglen muscat and banyuls.

Late harvest/noble rot: The later the harvest, the riper the fruit, the sweeter the wine. This is the idea behind late harvest dessert wines. A subcategory of late harvest relies on a fungus called botrytis cinerea to penetrate the skin of the grape, dehydrating it and further concentrating the sugar. Examples include sauternes, Hungarian tokaji, and late harvest riesling and chenin blanc.

Dried/passito: A less common technique, dried/passito dessert wines are traditionally made in Italy and Greece. Rather than relying on a late harvest or noble rot to dry the grapes, healthy fruit is picked and laid out in the sun, usually on straw mats (which leads to this being referred to as straw or raisin wine). Italian vin Santo del Chianti and Recioto della Valpolicella are famous examples.

How long does dessert wine last?

The range of wines that the term ‘dessert’ covers makes this a tricky question to answer. But again, if we commit to defining dessert wines as being high in alcohol, you can expect them to last longer than say a standard table wine, both unopened and opened, as the alcohol and extra sugar acts as a preservative.

While the character of the wine won’t usually develop with age, it won’t deteriorate either. The best dessert wines will last for decades, and can be drunk up to a month after opening.

What pairs best with dessert wine?

Dessert wines are the perfect accompaniment to the end of a meal, but their pairing potential goes beyond just sweet treats. These wines can complement a range of dishes, from blue cheeses to fruit tarts, and even spicy foods. The key to a successful pairing is balance — the wine should be sweeter than the dish to avoid a bitter aftertaste. So whether you're indulging in a rich chocolate cake or a plate of fresh strawberries, there's a dessert wine to go with it.

Best dessert wine brands at Qantas Wine

You can shop a selection of dessert wines from some of the world's most renowned wineries right here. Heggies Vineyard, known for their exceptional late-harvest riesling, offers a dessert wine that's both rich and refreshing. Antinori, a historic winery from Italy, produces a vin santo that's as complex as it is sweet. Tahbilk, one of Australia's oldest wineries, crafts a marsanne that's a testament to the potential of dessert wines in Australia. And De Bortoli, a family-owned winery in the Yarra Valley, is famous for their Noble One Botrytis Semillon, a dessert wine that's considered one of Australia's finest.

Each of these wineries brings something unique to the dessert wine category, showcasing the diversity and potential of these sweet sips. So why not indulge a little?

Dessert Wine

Chateau d'Yquem