Most sweet red wines aren’t that well-made which is unfortunate, because they can be amazing. In fact, there are a few wines that will change your entire perception of the style. Here is a shortlist of sweet red wines that deserve any drinker’s radar… They also happen to be the perfect wine with chocolate. Sparkling sweet red wines are a specialty of Italy. Brachetto is the grape and the wine, Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG, is made exclusively in Piedmont, Italy. The wine is a light ruby red color with aromas of strawberry, sweet cherry sauce, raspberry, violet and rose candy. There are 3 official types of Brachetto d’Acqui: Lambrusco is the fruity red wine from Emilia-Romagna, which is also well known for Parmesan Reggiano cheese. The wines range from dry (Secco) to sweet (Dolce), so look for wines labeled with Semisecco, Amabile or Dolce for a sweet style. Wines range in color from pale ruby to a dark purple with aromas of blueberry, cherry sauce, violet, and red currant.

Most Lambrusco wines have light alcohol at 11%–12% ABV Lambrusco is actually a grouping of about 10 different grape varieties and 11 unique sub-regions. However, most Lambrusco in the market comes from the 3 top production regions of Lambrusco Modena, Lambrusco Emilia and Lambrusco Reggiano. If you want to dig deeper check out these 3 sub-regions as well: Lambrusco wines have a system of labeling the sweetness level of wine to make it easy to find the level of sweetness you want. Secco (~15 g/l RS): A lean, dry style of Lambrusco that often lends a touch of bitterness on the finish from tannin. Semisecco (~30 g/l RS): An off-dry style of Lambrusco that usually reads dry when you taste it. Amabile (~40–50 g/l RS): A “just sweet” style of Lambrusco that accentuates fruit flavors. Dolce (~50+ g/l RS): The richest and sweetest style of Lambrusco. Besides Lambrusco and Brachetto, other regions in Italy produce sweet red wines with their unique indigenous red varieties.

For example, Bonarda, Teroldego and Croatina are wine grapes found in Lombardy that are often made into a bubbly and sweet (“frizzante dolce”) style. This category is predominantly value-driven wines, but a few have risen to the top. Dornfelder is a German red grape variety that is hard to find in the US, but very popular in Germany. Dornfelder wines primarily come from the Rheinhessen and Pfalz regions which, by the way, are wine regions just down the river from Alsace in France. These wines range in taste from dry (trocken) to sweet (süss or süß) and offer aromas of cherries, fresh blackberry, and spiced herbs. Another fascinating fruity red wine that grows in the northern parts of Italy, particularly in Trentino-Alto Adige, that tastes mostly dry but offers up bold fruity aromas of rose, cotton candy, sweet cherry sauce and cinnamon. You’ll find it to be a bit harder to find, but well worth the search. The same region that produces Amarone della Valpolicella also produces a very fine sweet passito wine called Recioto della Valpolicella.

This wine is rich and offers aromas of black cherry, cranberry, vanilla and true cinnamon with velvety flavors of chocolate. A well-made Recioto della Valpolicella is known to age for 20–30 years. As it ages this wine will soften and gain notes of fig, sassafras, and coffee.best inexpensive dry white wine Fortified wines have higher alcohol (16%–23% ABV) from added spirits. best wine routesThe fortifying process is actually what preserves the sweet taste in fortified wine because it kills the yeast and stops the fermentation. best wine south of franceSince these wines do have increased alcohol, it is recommended that the serving size be smaller at around 3 oz (80 ml).best wine for special occasions

Port wine comes from the Douro region of Northern Portugal and is a blend of many full-bodied grape varieties including Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Cão. For the red colored styles of Port wine expect aromas of blackberry, raspberry sauce, licorice, cocoa, juniper berry, and anise with mineral notes of graphite and crushed gravel. wine of fire to buy ukWines taste sweet but have ample tannin to balance this sweetness.new world wine labels are easier to read because There are many producers outside of Portugal that make fortified red wines with non-Port varieties. For example, you can find Port-style wines in Australia and California made with Syrah/Shiraz among others. A sweet fortified wine of Greece from the Patras region of Pelopennese which is a peninsula southwest of Athens.

The region is still developing so be aware that there may be some variation in the wines. Mavrodafni are very sweet with aromas of black currant, dates, figs, and black pepper with a very rich texture. A very unique grape that is a cross between Muscat of Alexandria and Schiava that offers up flavors of candied apple, rose, violet, cotton candy, perfume and cinnamon. It is a very rare variety, but a few producers made this fortified wine that glows like the color of a pigeon blood star ruby. Vin Santo is a fascinating sweet wine made primarily in Tuscany with Malvasia (a white wine grape). Although, this wine is rarely fortified it has the same richness as other fortified sweet wines. What makes it so special is the combination of the passito grape-drying method combined with a very slow fermentation which leads to wines with a rich tawny color and nutty aromas. Occhio di Pernice is a rare red style of Vin Santo made primarily with Tuscany’s star grape, Sangiovese. Wines are very viscous with aromas of fig, date, hazelnut and maraschino cherry.