The Best Sweet Wines, Ranked by Sweetness
The best sweet wines run from lightly fizzy Moscato d’Asti to rich Port and Sauternes. Here are 15 to try, sorted by how sweet they taste.
Sweet wine gets a bad reputation it does not deserve. Some of the most loved bottles in the world are sweet, and Moscato is routinely counted among the most popular wines people actually buy. The trouble is that the word “sweet” covers a huge range. A fizzy Moscato at 5 percent alcohol and a thimble of Tokaji Aszu have almost nothing in common except sugar.
This guide sorts 15 sweet wines by how sweet they taste, so you can match a bottle to your palate instead of guessing from the label. Use the finder below to filter by sweetness and by type, then read the notes on each style. If you want the science behind the numbers, our wine sweetness scale explains residual sugar in detail, and our guide to dry vs sweet wine covers why a dry wine can taste sweet and the reverse.
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Rough guide to where each style sits. Exact sweetness varies by producer.
- 1 Off-dry: Riesling Kabinett, Vouvray, Gewurztraminer, Lambrusco
- 3 Medium sweet: Moscato d'Asti, Asti, Brachetto
- 4 Sweet: Port, Banyuls, Vin Santo
- 5 Very sweet: Sauternes, Tokaji, Ice wine
Sweet tooth quiz: which sweet wine is yours?
Two quick questions. Tap an answer.
1. What do you usually reach for?
2. How sweet do you want it?
Find your sweet wine
Pick how sweet you want it and what kind of wine you like. The list narrows instantly. Sweetness runs from 1 (barely sweet) to 5 (dessert-level), our own editorial scale based on how each style tastes in the glass.
Showing all 15 wines.
| Wine | Style | Sweetness | Typical price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lambrusco Amabile | Red, lightly fizzy | 2 of 5 | $ | Pizza night and parties |
| Demi-sec Vouvray | White, still (Chenin Blanc) | 2 of 5 | $$ | Spicy food and aperitifs |
| Riesling (Kabinett to Spätlese) | White, German style | 2 to 3 of 5 | $ to $$ | Beginners and spicy food |
| Gewürztraminer | White, aromatic | 2 of 5 | $$ | Thai and Indian dishes |
| White Zinfandel | Blush, California | 2 of 5 | $ | Casual sipping |
| Sweet red blend | Red, still | 2 of 5 | $ | Red drinkers who like sweet |
| Moscato d'Asti | White, gently fizzy | 3 of 5 | $ | Brunch, fruit, first-timers |
| Asti Spumante | White, sparkling | 3 of 5 | $ | Celebrations and cake |
| Brachetto d'Acqui | Red, sparkling | 3 of 5 | $$ | Chocolate and strawberries |
| Vin Santo | White, dried-grape | 4 of 5 | $$ to $$$ | Biscotti and almond cake |
| Banyuls | Red, fortified | 4 of 5 | $$ | Dark chocolate |
| Tawny Port | Red-brown, fortified | 4 of 5 | $$ | Nuts, caramel, cheese |
| Sauternes | White, botrytized | 5 of 5 | $$$ | Blue cheese and foie gras |
| Tokaji Aszú | White, botrytized | 5 of 5 | $$$ | Gifts and blue cheese |
| Ice wine | White, frozen-grape | 5 of 5 | $$$ | Fruit tarts and cheesecake |
Price tiers are rough category ranges, not retailer quotes: $ is under about 15 dollars, $$ is about 15 to 35, and $$$ is above that. Fortified and dessert wines often come in half bottles.
The 15 best sweet wines, style by style
Each wine below is a style, not a single bottle, so you can shop for it anywhere. We name a few producers as examples of the style. Sweetness scores match the table above.
Lambrusco Amabile
Emilia-Romagna, ItalySweetness 2 of 5
Lambrusco ranges from dry (secco) to sweet (dolce), and amabile sits in the middle. It is gently fizzy, full of red berry fruit, low in alcohol and best served cool. Medici Ermete and Cleto Chiarli are good producers to look for.
Demi-sec Vouvray
Loire Valley, FranceSweetness 2 of 5
Chenin Blanc with honeyed apple and quince, held up by bright acidity so it never feels heavy. The label word is demi-sec, and the sweeter bottles say moelleux. Domaine Huet is a benchmark estate.
Riesling, Kabinett to Spätlese
GermanySweetness 3 of 5
Light, high in acid and low in alcohol, off-dry Riesling is the most dependable doorway into sweet wine. Kabinett is lightly sweet and Spätlese is riper and sweeter. Mosel producers such as Dr. Loosen and Selbach-Oster are consistent, and Washington State and the Finger Lakes make off-dry versions too.
Gewürztraminer
Alsace, FranceSweetness 2 of 5
Lychee, rose petal and ginger. Many bottles are off-dry, and the late-harvest tier called Vendange Tardive is far sweeter. Trimbach and Hugel are well-known names.
White Zinfandel
CaliforniaSweetness 2 of 5
Pink, fruity and a casual favorite for decades: strawberry and melon, served cold. It is one of the best-value sweet wines on any shelf, and Sutter Home is the best-known label.
Sweet red blend
California and beyondSweetness 2 of 5
Jammy red fruit and a soft finish with little tannin. A friendly bridge for people moving from sweet drinks toward dry reds. Our sweet red wine guide goes deeper.
Moscato d'Asti
Piedmont, ItalySweetness 3 of 5
Peach, orange blossom and a light spritz at around 5 percent alcohol. Fermentation is stopped early, so natural grape sugar stays in the wine. Saracco and Vietti make well-regarded bottles.
Asti Spumante
Piedmont, ItalySweetness 3 of 5
Moscato's fully sparkling sibling: more bubbles, the same peachy sweetness. Cheerful, affordable and made for celebrations and cake.
Brachetto d'Acqui
Piedmont, ItalySweetness 3 of 5
A sparkling red that tastes of strawberry, raspberry and rose. Low in alcohol and made for dessert. Banfi's Rosa Regale is the version most shops carry.
Vin Santo
Tuscany, ItalySweetness 4 of 5
Grapes are dried on mats, pressed and aged in small barrels for years. The result is amber, nutty and rich. The Tuscan tradition is to dunk almond biscotti in it.
Banyuls
Roussillon, FranceSweetness 4 of 5
A fortified red made mostly from Grenache, with cherry, cocoa and walnut. One of the classic partners for dark chocolate.
Tawny Port
Douro, PortugalSweetness 4 of 5
Aged in barrel until it turns amber and tastes of caramel, hazelnut and dried fruit. A 10 Year Old Tawny from Graham's, Taylor Fladgate or Dow's is easy to find, and it is lovely lightly chilled.
Sauternes
Bordeaux, FranceSweetness 5 of 5
Noble rot (botrytis) concentrates the grapes and adds honey, apricot and saffron notes, while acidity keeps it fresh. Château d'Yquem is the legend, and half bottles from other châteaux are a gentler way in.
Tokaji Aszú
HungarySweetness 5 of 5
A historic wine made with botrytized grapes. On many labels the puttonyos number tells you how sweet it is, and higher means sweeter. It stays vivid thanks to high acidity.
Ice wine
Canada, Germany, AustriaSweetness 5 of 5
Grapes freeze on the vine and are pressed while frozen, so only intensely sweet, high-acid juice runs out. Inniskillin in Canada is the best-known name. Expect small bottles and a higher price.
The best sweet wine for every situation
How to tell if a wine is sweet before you buy it
You do not have to open a bottle to guess its sweetness. Labels carry clues, and they are different in every language.
- Off-dry to lightly sweet: demi-sec, halbtrocken, amabile, Kabinett, off-dry.
- Sweet: moelleux, dolce, Spätlese, Auslese, late harvest, Vendange Tardive, dulce.
- Very sweet: doux, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Eiswein, Aszu, Sauternes.
Alcohol is another clue. A still wine at 5 to 11 percent alcohol usually kept some natural sugar, because less sugar was turned into alcohol. That shortcut fails for fortified wines such as Port, which are both sweet and strong, and for dry wines from hot regions that reach high alcohol on their own. Treat it as a hint, not a rule. For residual sugar ranges by style, see the wine sweetness scale.
What to eat with sweet wine
Sweet wine pairs best when you follow three rules of chemistry rather than memorizing matches.
- Match or beat the sweetness. A wine that is less sweet than the dessert tastes thin and sour next to it. Pair cake with Asti, not with a dry sparkling wine.
- Sweet meets salty. Salt makes sugar taste brighter, which is why Sauternes with blue cheese and Port with salted nuts feel so complete.
- Sweet cools heat. Residual sugar and acidity soften chili and spice, which is why off-dry Riesling suits Thai and Indian dishes.
Tell our wine pairing generator what is on the plate and it will suggest bottles to look for.
Pairing cheat sheet
| If you are eating | Open this | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Blue cheese | Sauternes, Tokaji, Tawny Port | Sweet balances the salt |
| Fresh fruit or fruit tart | Moscato d'Asti, Riesling Kabinett | Light, fruity and not heavier than the dessert |
| Dark chocolate | Brachetto d'Acqui, Tawny Port | Berry or nutty sweetness matches the bitterness |
| Birthday cake | Asti Spumante | Bubbles refresh and the sweetness keeps up |
| Spicy takeout | Riesling Spatlese, Gewurztraminer | Sugar cools the heat |
| Salty ham and melon | Demi-sec Vouvray | Sweet and salty contrast with bright acidity |
How to serve sweet wine
Sweet wines taste best cooler than most people serve them, because cold keeps the sugar from feeling heavy. Chill sparkling and fizzy wines like Moscato d'Asti, Asti and Lambrusco to roughly 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve Riesling, Vouvray and Gewürztraminer at about 45 to 50. Pour ice wine, Sauternes and Tokaji at about 50 to 55, and tawny Port slightly cool. Use small glasses, because sweet wine is rich and a little goes a long way. Opened sweet wines keep longer than dry ones because sugar helps preserve them: recork and refrigerate, and most still dessert wines hold for several days to a couple of weeks, tawny Port for longer, and sparkling bottles for a day or two with a proper stopper.
Your sweet wine tasting passport
Tick each style as you try it. Your progress saves in this browser.
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Sweet wine, answered
What is the best sweet wine for beginners?
What is the sweetest wine?
What is the best sweet red wine?
What is a good sweet white wine for drinking?
What wine is sweet but not too sweet?
Are sweet wines lower in alcohol?
Is Moscato the sweetest wine?
How long does sweet wine last once opened?
Take the two-minute wine personality quiz to find the styles that suit your taste, or see exactly how sweet each wine is on our sweetness scale.
How we chose these wines
We picked styles, not single bottles, so the list stays useful when vintages change. Each wine had to meet four tests:
- Easy to find. Available at a typical wine shop or online retailer.
- Clearly sweet. Sweet enough that a newcomer notices it.
- Balanced. Enough acidity that the wine never tastes syrupy.
- Good range. A mix of whites, reds, sparklers and dessert wines across price levels.
Sweetness levels are our own editorial scale from 1 to 5, based on how each style typically tastes. Prices are rough category ranges, not quotes.
Sweet wine label decoder
Labels tell you how sweet a bottle is if you know the words.
| Word on the label | Language | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Amabile | Italian | Lightly sweet |
| Dolce | Italian | Sweet |
| Demi-sec | French | Medium sweet |
| Moelleux | French | Sweet (Loire whites) |
| Doux | French | Sweet, the sweetest level for sparkling |
| Spätlese | German | Late harvest, ripe grapes, often off-dry to sweet |
| Auslese | German | Riper still and usually sweeter |
| Late harvest | English | Grapes picked very ripe, usually sweet |
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