Dessert Wines

There’s something special about ending a meal with dessert wine – Sauternes and Tokaji in particular. They’re light, golden, sweet, and they make desserts taste even better. Have a sip, take a bite of your favorite dessert, then another sip. The flavors bounce off each other. Trust me – both taste better as a team.

Sauternes, a French dessert wine, is made from a blend of Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes. It’s rich but elegant, sweet but not syrupy. Think honey, apricot!

I discovered Tokaji (a Hungarian dessert wine) later – thanks to a sommelier at Atelier Crenn – and it immediately became one of my favorites. It has a bright, honeyed sweetness with a gentle depth of dried fruit and citrus.

Both Sauternes and Tokaji have that beautiful light gold color, and both are dessert wines… just made very differently from Port. 

Sauternes and Tokaji get their sweetness naturally from grapes affected by “noble rot,” which concentrates the sugars and creates those honeyed, fruity flavors. Port, on the other hand, is a fortified wine, meaning grape spirit is added during fermentation. That stops the fermentation early, leaves more sugar, and boosts the alcohol.

And to be honest? Port isn’t really my thing. It’s heavier, stronger, and a bit more intense than what I usually enjoy. Great for some people, but I prefer the lighter, brighter sweetness of Sauternes and Tokaji.

Sometimes I’ll drink Sauternes or Tokaji on their own. They’re delicious solo. But I get why some of my friends say dessert wine can be a bit too sweet by itself. So if you’re new to it, do yourself a favor: pair it with a dessert (or two).