99 pairings
Touriga Nacional
Dark 70 percent chocolate torte with Taylor's Vintage Port: Bitter cocoa meets the wine's cassis and liquorice for a rich after-dinner match.
The short answer
Across 729 dessert pairings on 564 of our bottle pages, the grapes our editors pour most often are Touriga Nacional (99), Tempranillo (94), Touriga Franca (92) and Tinta Barroca (79). For example, Taylor's Vintage Port from Douro Valley with dark 70 percent chocolate torte: Bitter cocoa meets the wine's cassis and liquorice for a rich after-dinner match.
By style: fortified 209, sparkling 114, white 65, red 45, rosé 5 of the 729 pairings.
The wines that turn up most: DOC Porto, DO Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Tokaj, Recioto della Valpolicella Classico, PDO Vinsanto, DOCG Franciacorta Satèn.
The best grapes for dessert
94 pairings
Tempranillo
Dark chocolate with Dow's Vintage Port: Liquorice and cocoa.
92 pairings
Touriga Franca
Dark chocolate tart with Fonseca Vintage Port: Liquorice and cocoa on cocoa.
79 pairings
Tinta Barroca
Creme brulee with Kopke Colheita: Caramelised custard meets the wine's candied citrus.
75 pairings
Chardonnay
Strawberry tart with Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose: Wild-strawberry notes echo the dessert fruit.
63 pairings
Pinot Noir
Strawberry tart with Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Rose: Red-berry notes echo the dessert fruit.
55 pairings
Hárslevelű
Dark bitter chocolate 80%+ with Oremus Eszencia: High-percentage chocolate is one of the rare counterparts that can stand alongside Eszencia's intensity.
53 pairings
Furmint
With a single square of 70% dark chocolate with Disznókő Eszencia: Intense bittersweet chocolate is one of the few things not overwhelmed by Eszencia's concentration.
Bottles to pour with dessert
The best-rated pairings, one per producer and no more than two from any one region, so the list travels.
Apricot and almond tart
Late-harvest stone-fruit notes mirror the dessert while acidity keeps it fresh.
Creme brulee
Caramelised sugar in the brulee echoes the wine's caramel and beeswax notes; sweetness levels align.
Dark bitter chocolate 80%+
High-percentage chocolate is one of the rare counterparts that can stand alongside Eszencia's intensity.
Sip alone or with dark chocolate
At this level of complexity, the wine is best appreciated with minimal food competition.
Tarte fine aux abricots
Apricot-on-apricot between dessert and wine; high acid keeps the pairing from cloying.
With a single square of 70% dark chocolate
Intense bittersweet chocolate is one of the few things not overwhelmed by Eszencia's concentration.
Apple strudel with vanilla cream
The Eiswein's candied yellow fruit ties to the apple while racy acid lifts the cream.
Apricot tart
The wine's concentrated stone fruit echoes Valais apricots.
Apricot tart with mascarpone
The wine's candied apricot mirrors the fruit while honey notes flatter the mascarpone.
Cantucci di Prato
The canonical Vin Santo pairing: dip the almond biscotti.
Chocolate lava cake
Dark chocolate and cherry liqueur notes in the wine echo the molten chocolate centre.
Crema catalana
The caramelised sugar topping resonates with the wine's toffee and orange notes.
Taste the pairing: food and wine in Porto and the Douro Valley
Food and wine tastings you can book in Douro Valley, one of the regions whose bottles our editors pour with dessert.
Porto Wine Tasting Experience with Portuguese Tapas Plate
What better way to see and learn our culture than through our food? We're passionate about sharing the delightful food and wines that have made Porto become Portugal'...
Cheese and Port Wine Pairing Activity
We're a proud small family-owned business with a rich heritage of crafting Port Wine for over 5 generations. Thanks to Portugal's entry into the EU, in 1993 we were fi...
Porto: Cálem Cellar Tour, Interactive Museum & Wine Tasting
Tradition meets innovation at Calem Cellars in Porto. Join a host on an immersive journey, part museum, part working winery, revealing the art behind winemaking, agein...
Food and wine tastings in Porto and the Douro Valley (41) · Wine and cheese tastings in Porto and the Douro Valley (4) · Wine tastings and winery visits in Porto and the Douro Valley (102) · Cooking classes in Porto and the Douro Valley (18) · Food tours in Porto and the Douro Valley (60) · Olive oil tastings and mill visits in Porto and the Douro Valley (13) · Wine tours with a boat trip in Porto and the Douro Valley (148) · Wine tours and day trips in Porto and the Douro Valley (119) · All wine and food experiences
pairings by region
- Douro Valley: 102 pairings, Douro Valley food and wine pairing
- Jerez & Sherry: 82 pairings, Jerez & Sherry food and wine pairing
- Tokaj: 55 pairings, Tokaj food and wine pairing
- Valpolicella: 43 pairings, Valpolicella food and wine pairing
- Sicily: 34 pairings, Sicily food and wine pairing
- Franciacorta: 32 pairings, Franciacorta food and wine pairing
- Veneto: 29 pairings, Veneto food and wine pairing
- Jura: 27 pairings, Jura food and wine pairing
- Santorini: 26 pairings, Santorini food and wine pairing
- Penedes: 19 pairings, Penedes food and wine pairing
- Loire Valley: 18 pairings, Loire Valley food and wine pairing
- Mosel: 16 pairings, Mosel food and wine pairing
Wine with dessert, FAQ
What wine goes with dessert?
Across 729 dessert pairings on 564 of our bottle pages, the grapes our editors pour most often are Touriga Nacional (99), Tempranillo (94), Touriga Franca (92) and Tinta Barroca (79). For example, Taylor's Vintage Port from Douro Valley with dark 70 percent chocolate torte: Bitter cocoa meets the wine's cassis and liquorice for a rich after-dinner match.
Red or white wine with dessert?
Most often fortified: of the 438 dessert pairings, the split by style is fortified 48%, sparkling 26%, white 15% and red 10%. The bottles below show which of each work and why.
Which wine regions are best with dessert?
The regions with the most dessert pairings on our bottle pages are Douro Valley, Jerez & Sherry and Tokaj.