Dessert wine

There are plenty of great reasons to buy from Laithwaites. Here are just a few:

• Trust – we’ve been a family wine merchant for 50 years, with over 400,000 happy customers. Our customer service is second to none – reflected in our ‘excellent’ Trustpilot rating.
• Quality – every year our team of buyers taste 40,000 bottles to bring you the best. Just 800 (that’s 2%) make the grade.
• Range – our buyers don’t just sit in an office and make phone calls. They visit wineries all over the world – often small family cellars – to bring you authentic, handcrafted wines that you won’t find in your local supermarket.
• Convenience – no need to struggle to the car with bulky bottles. We deliver straight to your door.
• Peace of mind – with our no-quibble guarantee, you never need to worry about getting a bad bottle. If you don’t like a wine – for whatever reason – you don’t pay for it.  

And last but not least … we’re committed to leading the way in becoming more sustainable in all areas of the business. That’s why we were named Decanter’s Green Champion of the Year in 2023.

The day of your delivery will depend on which option you’ve chosen at checkout.  

• For a standard delivery, we will deliver your order within three working days. Delivery to the Scottish Highlands, some other areas of Scotland, Northern Ireland and offshore islands can take an extra few days.
• Usual delivery times are between 07.00 and 21.00.
• You can select Next-day or Named-day delivery at checkout – but do bear in mind we don’t deliver on Sundays or Bank Holidays.

For the best experience we recommend you subscribe to our Unlimited service. A one-off payment of £29.99 entitles you to free delivery for a year – including free Next-day delivery. There’s no minimum order – you’ll get free delivery even on a single bottle. And you can get delivery to multiple addresses, so it’s perfect for gifting!

Yes! It’s quick and easy to join our Wine Club.

You’ll start discovering new wines for less right away – and once you’re in you can easily tailor your subscription to your needs.

Want to skip or delay a delivery? No problem. Fancy a different style? We’ve a wide range to choose from. Want to swap in some of your favourite wines? It’s easy to do online. We’ll send a reminder email the week before delivery so you’ll have time to make any changes you like.

Learn more about laithwaites wine subscriptions

We want you to enjoy every bottle you buy from us. If you are not completely satisfied with any wine, for any reason, just let us know and you’ll receive a refund.  

Plus, we always want you to receive exactly what you need. If we deliver a case and it’s not wanted, just email us at customerservice@laithwaites.com and we’ll take care of it.

There are countless different types of dessert wines, but most options fall into one of five styles:

• Lightly sweet dessert wines – typically made from refreshing fruity white grapes, such as Riesling, Viognier, Chenin Blanc and Gewürztraminer. These wines are bursting with flavours like vanilla, citrus, peach, apple, pear and tropical fruits, and they’re perfect for serving with late-summer desserts such as fruit tarts and pavlovas.
• Richly sweet dessert wines – known for their intense sweetness and rich flavours. They’re made from high-quality grapes in an unfortified style and often deliver luscious textures and intricate layers of fried fruits and honey. Many of the most popular, richly sweet dessert wines are produced in Europe, with Tokaji Aszú and Vin Santo being notable favourites.
• Sparkling dessert wines – usually a little drier than other dessert wines, thanks partly to their bubbles, which create a refreshing mouthful. They retain their sweet smell and can range from off-dry (demi-sec or semi-secco) to sweet (doux, dulce or moelleux).
• Sweet red wines – known for their high sugar content and flavours of ripe berries, cherries and even chocolate notes. Quality sweet red wines have become harder to find in recent years, with consumers preferring more moderate levels of sweetness, but the likes of Lambrusco Dolce and Brachetto d’Acqui remain popular choices.
• Fortified wines – usually regarded as a distinct category but worth an honorary mention here. Fortified wines are known for their intense, sticky-sweet flavours and high alcohol content – with many containing 17–20% ABV (alcohol by volume). They are created by adding a neutral grape spirit, such as brandy, to the wine during fermentation, and they can be either dry or sweet. There are several specific types of fortified wine, such as Sherry, Port and Madeira, but each one is served in small quantities and best sipped slowly to enjoy its decadent aromas.

Dessert wines are produced across the world but are most commonly associated with mainland Europe and these areas in particular:

Italy – known for wines such as Vin Santo and Moscato d’Asti.

France – home to the Bordeaux-based Sauternes.

Portugal – famous for its fortified wines, such as Port and Madeira.

Germany – known for its sweet Rieslings from the Mosel and the Rheingau.

Spain – known for Pedro Ximénez and dessert Sherry.

Hungary – renowned for its Tokaji Aszú.

Austria – famous for its sweet wines from the Burgenland region.

Greece – produces sweet wines such as Muscat.

Elsewhere, the United States produces many quality fortified wines and Vin Santo styles, while Australia and South Africa are known for their Muscat-based wines.

As the name suggests, dessert wines are an ideal final flourish to a dinner party. That said, each wine has a distinct flavour profile, so you should choose carefully to find the perfect pairing.

As a rule, you should find a wine with a similar level of sweetness as the dessert. Richer dessert wines, like Port, are best suited to equally intense desserts, such as those featuring dark chocolate or salted caramel. By contrast, the honeyed notes of Sauternes work well with the creamy texture of a sweet fig compote, while the bright acidity of a Riesling balances the sweetness of an apple tart.

For nutty desserts such as almond biscotti, try a Vin Santo or a Muscato. When choosing a lighter, citrus dish like sorbet, consider a Gewürztraminer.

Learn more in our beginner's guide to food and wine pairing. 

The ideal serving temperature of a dessert wine depends on its style.

• Lightly sweet dessert wines such as Riesling, Viognier, Chenin Blanc, and Gewürztraminer are best served at 15–18°C to elevate their delicate floral and juicy fruit flavours.
• Richly sweet dessert wines should be chilled to unlock their characteristic sweetness without overwhelming their more subtle flavours.
• Sparkling dessert wines can also be chilled to 6–8°C. A colder temperature highlights the wine’s delicate flavours and adds a little extra sparkle to the bubbles.
• Sweet red wines are best served slightly below room temperature, typically between 15–18°C. This allows the wine’s rich flavours to be fully appreciated without being overly warm, which can make it too sweet.

Lightly and richly sweet white dessert wines can be served in standard white wine glasses. Its shape helps the wine stay at the best temperature for drinking but also preserves all those delicate, juicy flavours.

You can also treat sweet red wines like their table wine equivalents and serve them in a standard red wine or balloon glass. Sparkling dessert wines should be chilled and poured into a tall flute glass, as you would with other sparkling wines, like Cava, Champagne, and Prosecco. The long stem stops your hand from warming the wine, while the narrow bowl helps concentrate the wine’s flavours and bubbles.