Wine pairing
Best wine for Italian desserts
Last updated
The rule for dessert wine is simple: the wine should be at least as sweet as the dessert, or it tastes sour. Italy has a sweet wine for every pastry. These are the dessert wines on our list.
Quick answer
Choose a wine sweeter than the dessert: Moscato d'Asti or Brachetto for fruit and light desserts, Marsala or Vin Santo for tiramisu and biscotti, a passito for richer pastries.
5 wines to pour
Asti Spumante
Moscato Bianco · Piedmont
Sweet, fully sparkling, grapey. Serve at 44°F / 7°C.
Larry: “Holiday-table bubbles. Pour with dessert, not dinner.”
Marsala Superiore
Grillo, Inzolia and Catarratto · Sicily
Nutty, dried fruit; dry to sweet. Serve at 56°F / 13°C.
Larry: “Not just for chicken Marsala. Sip the good stuff.”
Passito di Pantelleria
Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria) · Sicily (Pantelleria)
Apricot, honey, dried fig. Serve at 54°F / 12°C.
Larry: “Cannoli and this. That's the whole review.”
Recioto della Valpolicella
Corvina blend, dried grapes · Veneto
Sweet red, cherry jam and chocolate. Serve at 58°F / 14°C.
Larry: “Amarone's sweet grandparent. Chocolate cake time.”
Brachetto d'Acqui
Brachetto · Piedmont
Sweet, fizzy red, strawberry and rose. Serve at 46°F / 8°C.
Larry: “Strawberries, chocolate, and nobody driving far.”
Cooking it tonight? Start with Italian desserts, then learn the basics in Wine Pairing 101.
Questions people ask
What wine goes with tiramisu?
A sweet wine with coffee-friendly notes, such as Marsala or Vin Santo.
Why must dessert wine be sweeter than the dessert?
A drier wine tastes thin and sour next to sugar.
What wine goes with biscotti?
Vin Santo is the traditional Tuscan pairing.
What is a light Italian dessert wine?
Moscato d'Asti is gently sweet, lightly fizzy and low in alcohol.