Looking for the best sweet red wines to complement Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts? From dessert wines like Ruby Port to light, sparkling Brachetto d’Acqui, these wines offer the ideal balance of sweetness and festive flavors.
As the holiday season rolls around, I love pairing holiday meals with wines that elevate each course. Not only does it compliment the flow of the meal, it also enhances the dishes you spent so much time cooking up. Sweet red wines can be the perfect complement to traditional holiday flavors, like roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, and rich, spiced desserts. To help you, I’ve put together some of the best sweet red wines that add warmth and sweetness to holiday gatherings.
The 5 Best Sweet Red Wine For the Holidays
1. Ruby Port
Ruby Port is a fortified wine from Portugal known for its rich, fruity flavors of black currant, plum, and dark berries. With its high residual sugar and higher alcohol content, Ruby Port pairs wonderfully with holiday desserts, particularly dark chocolate and berry-based treats. Thanks to its full-bodied nature, it’s also excellent with blue cheese or nuts, adding a rich finish to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.
Pro Tip: Serve Ruby Port slightly chilled, at around 60°F (room temperature for most wine cellars), to enhance its fruity notes.
2. Brachetto d’Acqui
Brachetto d’Acqui is a light, sparkling red wine from Italy, perfect for those who enjoy fruity wines with a gentle sweetness. This semi-sweet red wine is ideal for pairing with fresh fruit, fruit tarts, and light cheeses, making it a refreshing choice to serve at the beginning of a holiday meal or alongside fruit-based desserts. With fruity notes of strawberry and raspberry, Brachetto d’Acqui is a unique choice for Thanksgiving appetizers or Christmas brunch.
Pro Tip: Serve Brachetto d’Acqui chilled for a refreshing sparkle and a burst of fruitiness.
3. Recioto della Valpolicella
From Italy’s Veneto region, Recioto della Valpolicella is a dessert wine with flavors of black cherry, chocolate, and baking spices. Made using partially dried Corvina and Rondinella grapes, this wine has naturally concentrated sugars and a luxurious texture, perfect for pairing with rich desserts like tiramisu, chocolate cakes (just like this Rosemary, Orange and Chocolate Cake), and even traditional holiday fruitcake. Recioto offers a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, which cuts through the richness of heavier holiday dishes.
Pro Tip: Recioto della Valpolicella’s deep, rich flavor profile makes it an excellent choice for dark chocolate desserts or a festive cheese board.
4. Lambrusco
For those looking for a versatile, semi-sweet red wine that pairs well with everything from savory appetizers to main courses, Lambrusco is an excellent choice. Originating in Italy, Lambrusco is known for its slight fizz and flavors of blackberries, dark cherries, and even hints of black pepper. This makes it a wonderful match for salty dishes like charcuterie boards, roast turkey, and other holiday entrees. Lambrusco comes in varying sweetness levels, so look for labels that specify “amabile” or “dolce” if you prefer sweeter varieties.
Pro Tip: For a festive touch, serve chilled Lambrusco in fluted glasses to showcase its subtle bubbles and ruby color.
5. Tawny Port
For fans of caramel, nutty, and butterscotch flavors, Tawny Port is a rich, full-bodied dessert wine with a distinct aging process. This fortified wine from Portugal is aged in wooden barrels, which gives it its signature amber color and complex flavor profile. Tawny Port is a wonderful pairing for holiday desserts like my Pecan Pie, Crème Brûlée, or anything with caramel flavors. It’s also excellent with aged cheeses, providing a sweet contrast that highlights the savory elements of a cheese board.
Pro Tip: Serve Tawny Port slightly warmer than Ruby Port, around 65°F, to enhance its nutty, complex flavors.
Additional Tips for Selecting Sweet Red Wines for the Holidays
- Read Wine Labels Carefully: Look for terms like “dolce,” “amabile,” or “semi-secco” on wine labels, which indicate sweetness levels. Also, wines with “fortified” in the description, like Ports, tend to have higher residual sugar.
- Consider Serving Temperature: Sweet red wines are best enjoyed slightly chilled to room temperature, depending on the style. Sparkling reds like Brachetto d’Acqui should be served well-chilled, while richer wines like Tawny Port can be enjoyed at warmer temperatures to enhance the flavor profile.
- Pairing Sweet Reds with Holiday Foods: Sweet red wines are excellent with both savory dishes and sweet desserts. For savory pairings, Lambrusco and Brachetto d’Acqui can complement cheeses, roasted meats, and salty appetizers. For dessert pairings, Tawny Port and Recioto della Valpolicella pair beautifully with chocolate and fruit-based desserts, enhancing the meal’s final course.
Other Simple Wine Guides
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right sweet red wine for your holiday gatherings can add a delightful touch to every meal, from appetizers to dessert. Whether you prefer the richness of Ruby Port or the festive sparkle of Brachetto d’Acqui, there’s a sweet red wine for every occasion. So, this holiday season, raise a glass and enjoy the diverse, delicious world of sweet red wines that will take your feast to the next level.
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Christopher is a food and lifestyle expert, recipe developer and the content creator behind May Eighty Five. With over 6 years of creating recipes for your favourite food brands, he also shares tips, tricks and how to’s that he has learnt over the years. Every week, he shares quick, simple and mostly healthy recipes along with some home and entertaining tips. You will find flavorful cocktails, delicious appetizers, tasty mains and some indulgent desserts.
