15 Irresistible Sweet Red Wine Bottles: Taste, Food Pairings (2024)

Looking to elevate your dinner with the best sweet red wine?

If you’re looking for a bottle of sweet dessert wine, there’s a diverse spectrum of sparkling, still, and fortified red wine styles you can choose from.

In this article, we’ll explore 15 exceptional bottles to buy today, the best food pairing, and the different sweet red wine styles. We’ll also explore where the sweetness in red wine comes from.

15 Exceptional Sweet Red Wines to Buy Now

Here are the best sweet red wine bottles you’ve got to try in 2024:

1. 1946 Massandra Livadia Red Port ($1,399)
2. 1990 Giuseppe Quintarelli Recioto della Valpolicella Classico DOCG ($889)
3. 1947 Thomas Peatling Vintage Port ($686)
4. NV Barbeito 'Avo Mario' 50 Year Old Bastardo ($620)
5. 2001 Avignonesi Occhio di Pernice Vin Santo di Montepulciano ($588)
6. 2004 Dal Forno Romano 'Vigna Sere' Rosso Passito Veneto IGT ($307)
7. 2013 Philip Togni Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($257)
8. 2017 Quinta do Vesuvio 'Capela' Vintage Porto ($182)
9. 1996 Broadbent Colheita ($66)
10. 2016 St. Amant Winery Bootleg Port ($34)
11. 2010 L'Etoile Banyuls Grand Cru ($26)
12. 2016 Chateau de la Chaize Brouilly ($23)
13. 2016 Apothic Wines Red Winemaker's Blend ($14)
14. NV Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Centenario Amabile ($14)
15. 2020 Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz ($10)

1. 1946 Massandra Livadia Red Port ($1,399)

This is a well-balanced vintage sweet wine with succulent cherry, blackberry, and licorice notes elevated by an addictive honey and red fruit aroma. This is a great bottle, especially for a beginner wine drinker. 

2. 1990 Giuseppe Quintarelli Recioto della Valpolicella Classico DOCG ($889)

Here we have a delectable fruity Valpolicella sweet red wine packed with prune, black fruit, and strawberry flavors in a tantalizing earthy bouquet.

3. 1947 Thomas Peatling Vintage Port ($686)

This fortified wine vintage presents delicious fruity cherry and fig notes with a black currant and cassis aroma.

4. NV Barbeito 'Avo Mario' 50 Year Old Bastardo ($620)

Here’s a classic sweet red with a nose of wood and molasses offset by exotic spice, layers of soft salted caramel, and passion fruit notes. 

5. 2001 Avignonesi Occhio di Pernice Vin Santo di Montepulciano ($588)

This beautiful Italian Vin Santo dessert wine offers beautiful oak, coffee, dark chocolate aromas, and magnificent raisin, prune, and strawberry flavors.

6. 2004 Dal Forno Romano 'Vigna Sere' Rosso Passito Veneto IGT ($307)

This collectible sweet wine, made from air-dried grapes, has a layered palate of raisin, plum, dark spice, and espresso balanced by an addictive teriyaki smoke and fruity nose.

7. 2013 Philip Togni Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($257)

Here we have a unique Cabernet Sauvignon - a sweeter wine with a tobacco, menthol, sage bouquet, and sweet pear and red fruit flavors.

8. 2017 Quinta do Vesuvio 'Capela' Vintage Porto ($182)

This exquisite red wine captures your attention with a multidimensional fruity flavor profile of blueberry, blackberry, dark chocolate, and fantastic green tea and lavender aroma.

9. 1996 Broadbent Colheita ($66)

This sweet wine offers a dynamic caramel and toffee palate enhanced by dried mango and pistachio aromas with a syrupy mouthfeel, 

10. 2016 St. Amant Winery Bootleg Port ($34)

This fantastic Port wine delivers intense nutty, fruity, and marzipan aromas enmeshed with cherry, almond, and cocoa notes.

11. 2010 L'Etoile Banyuls Grand Cru ($26)

Here’s a magnificent sweet red blend with an aromatic nose of prune, oak, and vanilla. The fruity wine palate is equally attractive with black raisin, toffee, and dark chocolate flavors. 

12. 2016 Chateau de la Chaize Brouilly ($23)

This is a lively red wine with addictive fruity blackberry and mushroom aromas that uplift its flavorful strawberry and raspberry palate.

13. 2016 Apothic Wines Red Winemaker's Blend ($14)

This bold, sweet red blend has intense red fruit and black currant flavors and tantalizing cherry, licorice, and spice aromas.

14. NV Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Centenario Amabile ($14)

Here’s a smooth, sweet red wine with an aromatic rose and orange peel nose. This Lambrusco sparkling wine offers a delightful flavor combination of raspberry, blackberry, and strawberry. 

15. 2020 Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz ($10)

The 2020 sparkling Shiraz maintains a true balance between acidity and sweetness with mesmerizing ripe, juicy berry and dark chocolate flavors.

Sweet Red Wine Styles

Sweet red wines come in a variety of styles:

• Sweet Red Sparkling wine: If you are in the mood for a sweet red bubbly, try the Italian Brachetto d'Acqui from Piedmont or the delicious Lambrusco from Emilia-Romagna. Both are sparkling red wine styles with balanced acidity and a sweet palate.
• Sweet Red Still wine: The German Dornfelder, the Italian Schiava, and Ice wine are exquisite still red wines with a succulently sweet palate. They are ideal choices if you prefer a non-sparkling sweet red.
• Sweet Red Fortified wine: Fortified wine is made by adding a distilled spirit (brandy) to the fermented wine and has higher alcohol content than other sweet wines. Port Wine, Madeira, Banyuls, Sherry, and Marsala are outstanding fortified sweet red wines.
• Semi-Sweet Off-dry red wine: There are also a few dry red wine varietals likeBeaujolais Nouveau, Dolcetto, Pinot Noir, and Amarone that come with a slight element of sweetness.

What Makes A Red Wine Sweet?

The sweetness in red wine comes from its residual sugar content. 

These are the methods used to make red wine sweet: 

• Using sweeter grape varieties: 
• Late-harvest grape varieties like Primitivo, Malbec, Moscato, Garnacha, or Zinfandel. These have higher grape sugar content than most wine grapes
• Grape varieties affected by noble rot, which naturally enhances their sweetness
• Frozen grapes with concentrated natural sugars
• Halting fermentation: Stopping fermentation midway to prevent the conversion of residual sugar to alcohol
• Making fortified wine: Fermenting the wine with brandy to produce sweeter fortified wine
• Adding dosage: Adding a sugar solution (dosage) to sparkling wine between fermentation and bottling

Best Food Pairings for Sweet Red Wines

The sweetest fortified wines like Port and Madeira pair well with dessert dishes like chocolate torte, pudding, cheesecake, and custard tart. 

Other sweet red wines complement a wide range of food including, meat, roast chicken, game, pork, vegetable tart, and rich seafood dishes.

Time to Stock Up a Bottle of the Best Sweet Red Wine!

Don’t restrict yourself to traditional white wine labels to enjoy sugary goodness in your tipple. 

You have a stunning range of sweet red wine bottles to choose from too.

But, if you’re curious about building a portfolio of investment-grade sweet red wines, check out the Vinovest website. This AI-based platform helps you buy, store, and sell authentic fine wines from around the world.