26 November 2025

Christmas Desserts & Sweet Wines and Port Guide

We love a great sweet wine at Vintage Roots – and not just as an afterthought for dessert. Often labelled as dessert or pudding wines, these bottles offer some of the most thrilling drinking experiences of all. Better still, their popularity is on the rise as more people discover just how broad and versatile the category really is.

Sweet wines aren’t only for puddings – they can work as an aperitif, alongside cheese, with savoury dishes that feature fruit… and yes, some fans happily skip dessert altogether and just pour themselves a glass of Sauternes instead. More versatile than many people realise, we’ve picked out some truly outstanding organic sweet wines to bring into your Christmas celebrations.

The Best Dessert Wines for Christmas Pudding – and Mince Pies

When it comes to Christmas desserts, pudding and mince pies are usually first to the table – and neither is subtle. Both are rich, spiced and packed with dried fruit. The trick with pairing isn’t to fight that intensity, but to match it with sweetness and lift.

When it comes to Christmas desserts, Christmas pudding probably comes to mind first. Let’s be honest, there’s nothing subtle about the British Christmas pudding; it’s rich, sticky and brilliantly delicious. The knack to finding the right dessert wine for your Christmas pudding is not to overwhelm it with something equally rich. We like to serve ours with a wine that has some of the citrus qualities that you’d find in the pudding – the citrus peel, lemon zest and orange and refreshing acidity too.

Our top choices for Christmas pud (and mince pies) this year:

• Château Vari AOC Reserve Monbazillac (also as a half bottle)

• Château Guiraud Sauternes Grand Vin (NEW)

• Château Guiraud Petit Guiraud (NEW) – made in a fresher, lighter Sauternes style

These are the sweetest wines in our range and will elevate your pudding or mince pies beautifully. Serve them well chilled, colder than white wine, at around 10°C.

Prefer something a touch less sweet with pudding or mince pies? A Port is a brilliant alternative – especially:

• Casal dos Jordoes Finest Reserve Port

• Quinta da Trovisca Tawny Port (NEW)

Sweet Wines for Christmas Cake

Rich, ruit-packed Christmas cake calls for a wine with real depth and sweetness. The golden rule is simple – the wine should always be at least as sweet as the cake. These classic styles never miss:

• Port – Ruby for bright fruit and spice, Tawny for nutty warmth. Also superb with mince pies and Stilton.

• Sauternes – lush, honeyed and full of candied fruit.

• Monbazillac – a lighter, great-value alternative to Sauternes.

• Pineau des Charentes – gently fortified, silky and lightly sweet.

Can I Skip Dessert and Just Have the Wine?

Absolutely – and sometimes it’s the best option. If everyone’s feeling comfortably full, a sweet wine can be the dessert. Keeping a bottle on the rack and some vanilla ice cream in the freezer is also the perfect solution for last-minute guests.

From one of Bordeaux’s 1er Grand Cru Classé estates, Château Guiraud Sauternes Grand Vin gently poured over organic vanilla ice cream is a zero-effort show-stopper. Just don’t be surprised if nobody’s in a hurry to leave.

And if sweet wine isn’t your thing, a glass of organic liqueur makes an equally heavenly after-dinner treat.

Can You Serve Sweet Wine with Savoury Food?

You can – and it’s a lot of fun. Sweetness can balance salty, sour and spicy flavours beautifully, especially in dishes that feature fruit. It might not be everyday drinking, but for something playful and festive, think duck à l’orange with Sauternes, or even replacing orange liqueur in classic recipes with sweet wine itself.

Regular Wines on the Sweeter Side

If you’d like something only gently off-dry, perfect for cheeses, Christmas lunch or lighter desserts, try either of these two whites, a new Moscato D’Asti from Massimo Rivetti or Domaine de Pajot’s lightly sweet ‘Le Noisette’ made from Gros Manseng.

More about Port and Christmas…

A warm mince pie with a glass of Tawny Port is one of life’s great Christmas pleasures.

Port is also wonderful beyond the Stilton cliché:

• With British cheddar for a brilliant alternative pairing

• With sticky toffee pudding

• With chocolate truffles

• Or even in festive cocktails (Tawny Port works beautifully in coffee-based serves)

We hope this guide has helped you find the perfect sweet wine for your festive table. Here’s to a delicious Christmas filled with good food, great company and wonderful organic wine 🥂