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Despite what some people think, sweetness in wine doesn’t mean low quality. Sweet white wines are some of the most prized and expensive wines in the world.
Made from an array of grape varieties, sweet white wines offer an enticing, complex blend of sweetness and acidity with many flavours and aromas. From the refreshing fruity notes of a Moscato d’Asti to the deep, honeyed undertones of a Sauternes and a Tokaji, these wines offer an exciting taste journey worth exploring.
So indulge your sweet tooth and explore nine of the best sweet white wines.
What is sweet white wine?
Sweet white wine is known for its sweet flavours, yellow hue (ranging from pale yellow to golden) and distinctive aromas.
Its sweetness is derived from the residual sugars in the grape juice that aren’t fully converted to alcohol during fermentation.
While the specific tastes can vary depending on the grape variety, where the grapes are grown and winemaking techniques, common flavours include tropical fruits, honey and floral notes. Some sweet white wines offer excellent ageing potential thanks to their high sugar and acidity levels.
Sweet white wines are enjoyable on their own and are also excellent when paired with desserts and spicy dishes. One of the general rules of food and wine pairings is to match sweet with sweet, so sweeter dishes like dessert should be paired with sweeter wines to avoid one overpowering the other. But although sweet white wines pair perfectly with dessert, not all sweet white wines are labelled as dessert wines.
How is sweet white wine made?
A shorter fermentation process is the key to sweet white wine’s magic. During fermentation, not all the natural sugar in the grape juice is converted into alcohol, leaving behind a residual sweetness. As well as stopping fermentation, winemakers also influence the sweetness by using techniques to increase the sugar concentration in the grapes while on the vine. These include noble rot, late harvesting and cold temperatures.
Noble rot: Botrytis cinerea is a type of fungus that shrivels wine grapes. Surprisingly, this ‘rotten’ state can result in some of the world’s finest sweet white wines, such as Sauternes from France. The fungus pierces the skins of the grapes, dehydrating them and concentrating the natural sugars. These botrytised grapes are carefully handpicked and pressed to produce a sweet, concentrated juice. When these grapes are fermented, the increased sugar concentration can be so high that the yeasts die from the high-alcohol environment before all the sugar is converted into alcohol. The final wines are rich, sweet and have a unique honeyed flavour.
Late harvest: As the name suggests, late harvest wines are made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual. This extra time allows the grapes to overripen, concentrating the sugars to create a sweeter wine. Late-harvest wines can be made from many different types of grapes and can vary in sweetness from semi-sweet to very sweet. These wines often have a rich, fruity flavour and a velvety texture.
Ice wine: This is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have frozen while still on the vine. The water in the grapes freezes but the sugars and other solids do not, allowing for a more concentrated grape juice to be pressed from the frozen grapes. This results in a smaller amount of more concentrated, very sweet wine. Ice wine production is risky because it requires a specific temperature, usually around -7°C to -8°C, and a quick harvest and pressing while the grapes are frozen. This method is only found in very cold wine regions such as Canada and Germany.
Each method results in a unique style of sweet white wine. The challenge for winemakers is balancing the high sugar levels with enough acidity to prevent the wines from tasting too cloying.
9 sweet white wines to try
Riesling
Riesling is a versatile grape variety used to produce both sweet and dry wines.
Sweet Rieslings are renowned for their lively fruit flavours, often expressing apple, pear and peach, layered with floral and mineral undertones. They often have a distinct minerality to them, too. The Riesling grape’s high acidity balances the wine, preventing it from tasting too sickly sweet.
Some of the sweetest styles come from Germany and France’s Alsace region, while Canada makes sweet ice wines from Riesling grapes.
Sweet Riesling wine can cool the heat of spicy foods, making it a perfect match for spicy cuisines such as Indian, Thai, Chinese or Mexican food. These wines also provide a pleasing contrast with rich dishes such as foie gras, roast pork and duck. For the sweetest styles, fruity desserts such as an apple or pear tart make the perfect pairing for the end of a meal.
Late harvest Gewürztraminer
Late harvest Gewürztraminer is a sweet white wine made from overripe Gewürztraminer grapes harvested later in the season. This process concentrates the grape’s sugars, yielding a luscious, aromatic wine with flavours of lychee, rose and exotic spices.
Late harvest Gewürztraminer wines pair beautifully with various desserts, from vanilla ice cream to fruitcakes.
Chenin Blanc
Sweet Chenin Blanc wines from France’s Loire Valley offer flavours of apple, mandarin, honey, acacia, toasted almond and quince. Their bright acidity means they have the potential to age for decades, becoming more complex over time. Like sweet Rieslings, sweet Chenin Blanc wines make a cool-headed friend to spicy Asian and Spanish dishes.
Moscato d’Asti
From the Piedmont region of northern Italy, Moscato d’Asti is a sparkling white wine that’s known for its floral aromas of elderflower, honeysuckle and orange blossom. It has a strong fruit profile with flavours ranging from peach, orange and pear to hints of green apple and tropical fruits like mango.
Made from native Italian Moscato grapes, this sweet white wine is available in frizzante (lightly sparkling) and spumante (fully sparkling) styles. Moscato d’Asti is a sweeter, budget-friendly alternative to Prosecco that’s perfect served with a slice of vanilla cake at birthday celebrations.
Muscat
Made from one of the oldest known grape varieties, Muscat is famous for its sweet, aromatic profile. It comes in different styles, from sparkling to still and from dry to very sweet. The wine boasts vibrant floral and fruit notes, often exuding aromas of orange blossom, ripe peach and juicy apricot. Some types, such as Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, are even fortified for extra richness.
Muscat wines are produced globally, with notable examples hailing from France, Italy (where it is known as Moscato), Spain and Australia. Notable sweet Muscat white wines come from the Greek island of Samos and are made from sun-dried, overripe grapes. These oak-aged wines have luxurious, warming notes of sweet orange, raisin, honey and dried nuts. Due to their sweetness, they’re often paired with desserts – think crème brûlée and Christmas pudding – or served as an aperitif.
Sauternes
Hailing from France’s Bordeaux region, Sauternes is one of the best-known sweet white wines. Produced primarily from Sémillon grapes, often affected by noble rot, it’s occasionally blended with Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. The noble rot concentrates the sugars, producing distinctively rich, sweet wines.
Sauternes boasts complex flavours of honeyed tropical fruit, apricot and nuts with aromas of butterscotch, citrus, coconut and ginger. A balancing acidity prevents it from being overly sweet. The wine’s high sugar and alcohol content gives it remarkable ageing potential. Sauternes is traditionally paired with foie gras, blue cheese or rich desserts, but it can stand proudly on its own as an opulent conclusion to a meal.
Tokaji Aszú
Tokaji Aszú is a world-renowned sweet wine hailing from the Tokaj wine region in Hungary. Made predominantly from native Furmint grapes, it’s famous for its unique production process, where grapes, often affected by noble rot, are picked individually to ensure high sugar concentration. The result is a lusciously sweet wine that perfectly balances its sugar with natural acidity. Flavour profiles often include honey, apricot and exotic spices, with some subtle mineral tones. Despite its sweetness, Tokaji Aszú carries a remarkable freshness. These wines are enjoyable when young and have exceptional ageing potential, often spanning several decades.
Delicious on its own, you could also pair a glass with desserts featuring roasted pineapple, dark chocolate and orange or caramelised apples.
Vin Santo
Vin Santo is a classic sweet white wine from Italy. The wine is made from white grape varieties like Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia, which are dried on straw mats to concentrate their sugars before fermentation. This process, combined with long ageing in small oak barrels, results in a sweet, amber-coloured wine with flavours of raisins, honey and nuts. Vin Santo can range from medium-sweet to very sweet and is often served with panettone and cantucci (a traditional Tuscan almond biscuit).
Ice wine
Known as ‘Eiswein’ in Austria and Germany, ice wine is a dessert wine renowned for its intense sweetness and balanced acidity. It’s produced from grapes that are left to freeze naturally on the vine in regions that experience cold winters, such as Canada and Germany. The freezing process concentrates the sugars and acids in the grapes, leading to a highly sweet and flavourful wine when fermented. Ice wine is known for its rich, luscious flavour, often including tropical fruits, honey, peach and citrus notes. Despite its sweetness, the acidity keeps it refreshing, making it an exquisite after-dinner treat or a pairing for rich, creamy desserts.
About the author
Brogan Wilson
Qualified to WSET Level 2 Wine, Brogan is a relatively new member of the team, having joined in September 2023. She previously worked as the sole copywriter at a creative marketing agency, and before that, as a primary school teacher. At Laithwaites HQ, you’ll find her growing her knowledge, asking lots of questions, and crafting both digital and print copy. An ardent red wine drinker, Brogan is also fond of Crémant.
