Dessert wine - Definition and Overview

Dessert wines are those wines which are typically served with dessert, although they are also drunk on their own, i.e. not accompanying food. They are often sweet wines such as ice wine, Sauternes, Tokaji Aszú, beerenauslese, trockenbeerenauslese and Commandaria or fortified wines such as sherry and port.

Legally in the United States, dessert wine refers to wines of 14% alcohol or greater. Historically these were fortified, as table wines were typically 12.5%. With a greater emphasis on ripe fruit, many dry unfortified wines, particularly Zinfandels, reach 15% or more and are thus legally considered dessert wines, and are taxed at a higher rate.

Many dessert wines have a much lower alcohol level however, many German dessert wines only reaching 7-8%.

Despite their name, many of these wines are not particularly well suited to desserts, and are more suitably consumed on their own or with very rich savoury foods such as foie gras.