ENGLISH DESSERT WINE: A SHORT GUIDE.
Ever since I went to a wine tasting in the stunning South African area of Franschhoek over a decade ago, I have been craving dessert wines. I remember tasting my first late harvest wine, and wondering why it had taken me so long to try it. I was astounded by the combination of sweet wine with bitter chocolate and blue cheese.
But away from South Africa, and instead to the heart of English wine making. There are now a few vineyards around the country starting to produce excellent English dessert wine. This post seeks to highlight a few of the best and give you some ideas for how to serve English dessert wine.
What is Dessert Wine?
Simply put, dessert wines are sweet wines typically served with dessert (though they’re versatile enough for more than just sweets!).
Unlike your standard reds or whites, dessert wines pack a punch with intensified flavors and sweetness, often achieved through various wine making techniques like late harvesting, noble rot, or fortification.
What makes a good Dessert Wine?
A great dessert wine brings balance to its sweetness with acidity, ensuring it’s delightful and not overly syrupy.
The best versions offer complexity and depth, tantalizing your palate with layers of flavors and aromas from fruity and floral to nutty and spicy. A fine dessert wine feels like a decadent dessert itself—rich and satisfying.
Best Dessert Wine from around the UK
Here are some dessert wines from around the UK that I have my eye on.
1 / Rowton Vineyard, Shropshire – Late Harvest Solaris: This charming vineyard is run by the “wine twins”, two sisters with a passion for wine growing. Made at their vineyard in Shropshire, the Late Harvest Solaris promises delicious banana and toffee notes and pairs well with blue cheese (of course!). Buy direct from Rowton Vineyard for £19.
2 / Denbies Vineyard, Surrey – Noble Harvest: Made with Ortega grapes, this dessert wine offers some fantastic pairing opportunities – even with savoury dishes. A complex golden wine, laced with lashings of apricot. Buy from The English Wine Collection online store for £26.99.
3 / White Castle Vineyard, Wales – 1581 Fortified Wine: This wine is made by a vineyard in Wales. A fortified wine, similar to a Port, is rich and filled with red fruit. Pair with blue cheese or strong dark chocolate. Buy from Grape Britannia for £29.99.
4 / Once Upon a Tree – The Wonder Pear Ice Wine: Once Upon a Tree are traditionally cider makers, but they have branched out (if you parden the pun) to create the world’s first dessert pear ice wine. Made in Herefordshire, this wine pairs well with cheese. Buy from Grape Britannia for £26.99.
How to serve Dessert Wine
Dessert wines are best enjoyed slightly chilled, around 8-12°C (46-54°F). This temperature highlights their rich textures and deep flavors without making them too viscous.
Serving them in a smaller wine glass will also concentrate their delightful aromas, enhancing your tasting experience. Remember, a little goes a long way—dessert wines are typically served in smaller portions, perfect for savoring slowly.
Glasses for English Dessert Wine
These bijou dessert wine glasses are ideal for your next sweet tipple.
Food pairings for English Dessert Wine
Dessert wines are incredibly versatile in food pairing, capable of complementing an array of dishes:
Classic Desserts – Pair these sweet wines with fruit pies, lemon tarts, or crème brûlée. The rule of thumb is to choose a wine sweeter than the dessert to ensure it doesn’t taste flat.
Cheese Boards – Dessert wines and cheese are a match made in heaven, especially with blue cheese or aged cheddar. The saltiness of the cheese alongside the sweetness of the wine creates a perfect palate pleaser.
Bitter chocolate – my favourite way to enjoy dessert wine, especially late harvest varieties, is with bitter chocolate. Something about the taste clash just excites my palate. Pair with the darkest of dark chocolate truffles, or a chocolate based pudding.
Recipe suggestion: try this recipe for a dark chocolate tort.
Alone as a Dessert – Sometimes, the best pairing for a dessert wine is no pairing at all. Serve it solo as the dessert itself, allowing its complexities to shine through as a sweet finish to your meal.
Where to next?
A few of my favourite things
Looking for a gift for yourself or a wine lover in your life? Here are a few of my favourite English Wine things.
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