Italian Sweet Wine
Sweet wines have been around for centuries. They are made all over the world, but Italian sweet wines are truly special and represent long standing winemaking traditions. There are a plethora of Italian dessert wines out there to try, so you’ll be sure to find one you love.
Find Your Sweet
Answer a few questions, we'll match you to the right bottle.
Light and delicate, or rich and intense?
Sommelier's Selection
3 retailers
Azienda Agricola Anselmi Roberto I Capitelli
Veneto
3 retailers
£25.10
£27.58
3 retailers
Passito di Noto
Noto
3 retailers
£29.58
3 retailers
Bertani Recioto della Valpolicella Valpantena
Recioto della Valpolicella
3 retailers
£29.99
2 retailers
Maculan Dindarello
Veneto
2 retailers
£13.90
£17.38
2 retailers
Birbet Brachetto
Brachetto d'Acqui/Acqui
2 retailers
£18.00
2 retailers
Fattoria dei Barbi Vin Santo
Vin Santo del Chianti
2 retailers
£25.51
2 retailers
Cantine Leonardo da Vinci Vin Santo dell'Empolese
Bianco dell'Empolese
2 retailers
£25.72
2 retailers
Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Pomino Vinsanto
Pomino
2 retailers
£50.58
The Taste Landscape
Every circle is an Italian sweet wine appellation, sized by how many wines are available. Hover to explore, tap to see wines.
Grapes Behind Italian Sweet Wine
Greco
Peach
Apricot
Almond
Acacia
Greco is the structured, smoky white of Campania, carried to southern Italy by Greek settlers nearly three thousand years ago. On the volcanic tuff soils of Irpinia it makes Greco di Tufo, one of t...
Found in: Lamezia, Greco di Bianco, Matera
Cabernet Sauvignon
Blackcurrant
Green pepper
Tobacco
Blackberry
Cabernet Sauvignon is the Bordeaux-born red grape that reshaped modern Italian wine. Nearly 14,000 hectares grow across Italy, concentrated in Tuscany, Veneto and Sicily, and it leads Bolgheri DOC ...
Found in: Alto Adige/Südtirol, Matera
Merlot
Plum
Black cherry
Blackberry
Chocolate
Merlot is a red grape with a serious Italian footprint: Bolgheri DOC, Bolgheri Rosso, Cortona DOC, Suvereto DOCG, Rubicone IGT and Montello Rosso DOCG form its Italian map. It moves from supple coa...
Found in: Alto Adige/Südtirol, Matera
Cabernet Franc
Violet
Raspberry
Green pepper
Blackcurrant
Cabernet Franc is the quieter half of the Bordeaux pair, lighter and more perfumed than Cabernet Sauvignon, which it happens to have fathered. In Italy it does its best work in Bolgheri, where it l...
Found in: Alto Adige/Südtirol
The Culinary Marriage
The Craft of Italian Sweet
Italian sweet wines are very diverse. Every Italian region boasts its own unique dessert wine with individual character, made from a wide range of grape varieties and often with age-old winemaking traditions.
Italy is known for its passito method. This involves drying some or all of the grapes before fermentation which concentrates aromatics and sweetness. The result is a wine with extraordinary complexity and concentration.
Common Questions
A great sweet wine for beginners is Brachetto d'Acqui. It is a very easy-going wine that can be enjoyed before or after a meal. Also try Moscato d'Asti, which is a sparkling dessert wine, low in alcohol.
Moscato d'Asti. Not too sweet, it is a lightly sparkling wine that pairs wonderfully with a large variety of desserts or can easily be enjoyed by itself at the end of a meal.
Niche productions of the Tuscan Vin Santo are known to be quite expensive. Vin Santo represents excellence in Tuscan winemaking. Perfectly balanced with a creamy finish, it pairs wonderfully with cantucci - Tuscan biscotti - which are directly dipped into the wine.
Sweet wines are high in sugar so they are best consumed in moderation.
There are a plethora of delicious sweet wines. If you prefer light and sparkling wines, try Moscato d'Asti. If you prefer something more concentrated and full-bodied, Recioto alla Valpolicella may be the one for you.
Moscato d'Asti. This wine is produced exclusively in the area of Asti, in the Piedmont region. It has beautiful floral and honey flavours.
The traditional passito method. This involves drying the grapes prior to vinification, resulting in a wine that is more flavourful and sweet.
Italian Sweet wine is best served at 6–10°C.
Italian Sweet wine pairs well with desserts, blue cheeses, dried fruits, and biscotti. Vin Santo with cantucci is a classic Tuscan pairing.
Explore More Wine Styles
Red
Italy's boldest expression, structured, complex, built for food
White
Crisp and versatile, from alpine freshness to Mediterranean warmth
Rosé
Summer in a glass, bright, delicate, endlessly drinkable
Sparkling
From Prosecco to Franciacorta, bubbles for every occasion
Orange
Ancient craft, modern obsession, skin-contact whites with soul