10 Types of Fruity Wine: Best Bottles To Buy, Prices, Serving Tips

The refreshing aromas and palate-pleasing notes of fruity wines are perfect for casual brunches.

In this article, we will explore fruity wine, the 10 best styles with tasting notes, and how to serve them. 

We will also cover a few interesting facts on fruity wines.

10 Scrumptious Fruity Wine Styles, Characteristics, Best Bottles to Buy

Here are the best fruity wines to try in 2023:

• Zinfandel
• Port
• Moscato
• Pinot Noir
• Dolcetto
• Riesling 
• Sauternes
• Beaujolais
• Malbec
• Syrah

1. Zinfandel

Made from the Zinfandel grape variety, this wine is generally produced as a red wine but can also be made as a rose wine (called white Zinfandel.) It is revered for its delicious natural sweet taste.

Zinfandel is a full-bodied wine with 14%-17% alcohol, displaying blueberry, cherry, cranberry, plum, and citrus fruit notes enriched by black pepper and jam.

The most popular Zinfandel wines come from Sonoma County, Lodi, and Napa Valley in California.

Best Zinfandel Wines:

• 2018 Martinelli Jackass Hill Zinfandel, Russian River Valley, USA: $350
• 2018 2018 Hartford Family Winery Hartford Highwire Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel, Russian River Valley, USA: $56

2. Port

Port wine is made from indigenous Portuguese grapes that are traditionally crushed via grape stomping.

These fortified wines are mostly sweet and full-bodied, with a high alcohol content of 15%-20%. They can be produced as red, white, and rosé wines, and are often served as dessert wines.

Port wines usually showcase ripe raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, apple, and dried fruit notes along with hints of caramel, cinnamon, and chocolate.

Best Port Wines:

• W & J Graham's 'Ne Oublie' Tawny Port, Portugal: $7,872
• 2019 W & J Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port, Portugal: $52

3. Moscato

Moscato is a traditional Italian wine made from the Muscat grape variety. It is also produced in Australia, South Africa, Spain, and France.

These wines can be made as white wine or red wine in still, fortified, and sparkling wine styles. They have an extremely low alcohol content (sometimes below 5% alcohol) with strong natural sweetness and low acidity.

White Moscato wines have an orange blossom aroma with a dominant stone fruit flavor of peach and apricot. And red Moscato wines generally have a ripe red berry flavor of raspberry, strawberry, and cherry.

Best Moscato Wines:

• 2016 Groot Constantia Grand Constance Muscat, Constantia, South Africa: $107
• 2012 Compania de Vinos Telmo Rodriguez 'Molino Real' Montain Wine, Malaga, Spain: $54

4. Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is suited for producing both still and sparkling wine, and is one of the main ingredients of Champagne.

This light-bodied wine has a good balance of sweetness, acidity, and tannins with a floral aroma and a complex blackberry, cherry, raspberry, mushroom, and vanilla flavor.

Although Pinot Noir is made worldwide, the most-renowned bottles come from Burgundy, France.

Best Pinot Noir Wines

• 2013 Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, France: $52,784
• 2013 Escarpment Kupe Pinot Noir, Martinborough, New Zealand: $58

5. Dolcetto

This Italian red wine is made from Dolcetto grapes that are widely grown in Piedmont, Italy.

It is a dry wine with a deep ruby color, presenting ripe strawberry, plum, black cherry, blueberry, and licorice notes with a bitter almond finish.

Best Dolcetto Wines

• 2018 Bartolo Mascarello Dolcetto d'Alba, Piedmont, Italy: $56
• 2009 Brovia Solatio Dolcetto d'Alba, Piedmont, Italy: $45

6. Riesling

Riesling is a white wine made from a grape variety of the same name. The best examples hail from Germany and Alsace.

They can be dry and light to sweet and full-bodied and showcase several fruit notes, including mango, guava, citrus, orchard fruit, and stone fruit like peach and apricot.

Best Riesling Wines

• 2018 Egon Muller Scharzhofberger Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Mosel, Germany: $17,957
• 2020 Weingut Donnhoff 'Felsenturmchen' Schlossbockelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Nahe, Germany: $49

7. Sauternes

This sweet wine is produced in France’s Sauternes region. It is typically a blend of Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes afflicted by noble rot.

Sauternes is a gold-colored white wine with a concentrated fruity flavour and zesty acidity.

The flavor profile includes citrus and stone fruit notes (like apricot and peach), along with less common notes of coconut and pineapple.

Best Sauternes Wines

• 1945 Chateau d'Yquem, Sauternes, France: $3,841
• 2020 Chateau Coutet, Sauternes - Barsac, France: $38

8. Beaujolais

Produced from the Gamay grape variety, this wine comes from the Beaujolais district in Burgundy, France. It is light-bodied, having a minimum of 10% alcohol content. 

Beaujolais wine has high acidity, moderate sweetness, and flavors comparable to old world Pinot Noir. It presents a delicious floral aroma with mellow notes of fresh strawberry, raspberry, cherry, red currant.

Best Beaujolais Wines

• 2013 Domaine Jean Foillard Morgon 'Cuvee 3.14', Beaujolais, France: $423
• 2020 Domaine Louis Claude Desvignes Morgon Javernieres Les Impenitents, Beaujolais, France: $48

9. Malbec

Malbec is a juicy red or rose wine with a high alcohol content of 13%-14%. It is a dry wine with moderate tannins and medium acidity.

The best Malbec hails from Argentina and displays rich dark fruit notes of ripened blueberry, blackberry, and plum with hints of chocolate, oak, and sweet spices.

Best Malbec Wines

• 2016 Vina Cobos 'Cobos' Chanares Estate Malbec, Tunuyan, Argentina: $268
• 2017 Bodega TeHo Tomal Vineyard Malbec, La Consulta, Argentina: $42

10. Syrah

Syrah is red wine originating from the Rhone wine region of France.

Syrah wines are some of the darkest full-bodied wines with 13%-15% alcohol. 

These dry wines have brisk acidity and a prominent dark fruit flavor of blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, and raspberry. However, Australian Shiraz is more spicy than fruity.

Best Syrah Wines

• 2003 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Ermitage 'Cuvee Cathelin', Rhone, France: $8,929
• 2018 Lismore Estate Reserve Syrah, Greyton, South Africa: $57

Other noteworthy wines with a strong fruity flavor include Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, and Sangiovese.

How To Serve Fruity Wines (Including Food Pairings)

Serve fruity wines chilled at 45°F-50°F (7°C-10°C) in standard white wine glasses to bring out the fruity flavor notes.

Pair the fruity, sweet wines with appetizers like smoked sausages, spicy barbecues, or desserts like a mixed berry parfait. The dry wines will go perfectly with cheese and cured meats.

Fruity Wines Made From Fruits Other Than Grape

Some other kinds of fruity wines are also made from fruit juice besides fermented grape juice. Here are some of the best fruit wine styles to try:

• Mango wine
• Banana wine
• Pineapple wine
• Apple wine
• Pear wine or Perry
• Watermelon wine
• Elderberry wine
• Blueberry wine
• Strawberry wine

Now that you know the different wine types, let’s resolve common queries on fruity wine.

Some Interesting Facts About Fruity Wine

Here are three aspects of fruity wine that you should know:

A. Is fruity wine different from sweet wine?

Fruity wines can be dry, off-dry, or sweet with fruit notes. The fruitiness of the wine is mostly associated with the wine’s aroma. 

On the other hand, the sweetness of the wine is attributed to its taste. Typically, sweet wines have more than 35 grams of residual sugar per liter.

B. Is fruity wine a dessert wine?

Certain fruit wine styles, like Port and Riesling, can also be enjoyed as dessert wines. They usually have above 14% alcohol and a pronounced sweet flavor that goes perfectly with dessert.

C. Is cider a fruity wine?

Yes, cider made from a single fruit is a type of fruit wine. Cider can be made from orchard fruit like apples or pears and involves fermentation that brings the alcohol level to 3%-8%.

However, apple cider juice is different from apple wine - which has more sugar and a higher alcohol level of 12%. 

Sip On A Bottle Of Delicious Fruity Wine

Fruity wines come in a wide variety of styles, flavors, and sweetness levels. This diversity makes it possible for any wine drinker to find a wine that’ll suit their palate.

A good bottle of fruity wine like the Burgundian Pinot Noir can also make for a great investment.

Vinovest, a leading wine investment company, can help you buy, store, and sell fine wines, like Pinot Noir, Riesling, or Chenin Blanc, from around the world.