How to Properly Pair Dessert Wine and Cheese

Choose the perfect salty cheese for your sweet wine

Blue cheese, honey, sweet wine, knife
Sofie Delauw / Getty Images

It is always nice to complete a special meal with a glass of dessert wine, but sometimes the sweetness of the wine can compete with a rich dessert and make for an overly sweet ending. Instead, try a dessert wine paired with cheese—the sweet and salty combination will please the palate and make for a satisfying finish to your dinner.

Whether you enjoy a glass of port, sherry, or sweet white wine, there are plenty of cheese selections to choose from.

  • 01 of 07

    Port

    Gorgonzola

    The Spruce / Jennifer Meier

    Port is a fortified wine (meaning fermentation is stopped to leave residual sugar) from Portugal. Generally speaking, less expensive ports have flavors of sweet, ripe dark berries while vintage and aged ports lean toward flavors of dried fruits with hints of caramelized nuts.

    Port and the blue cheese Stilton are a traditional pairing, but port also matches well with other blue cheeses. To bring out the nuttiness of the wine even more, garnish the blue cheese with walnuts or pecans, either raw or candied.

  • 02 of 07

    Sherry

    Manchego

    The Spruce / Jennifer Meier

    Sherry, a fortified wine from Spain, is produced in a variety of styles and levels of sweetness. Varieties include Amontillado, Oloroso, Cream Sherry, and Pedro Ximénez, which range from slightly to very sweet. No matter which you choose, all pair well with cheese.

    Sherries often have a nutty flavor with a hint of dried figs and complement nicely with salty Spanish cheeses, such as Manchego, Cabrales, Mahon, and Serra de Estrella.

  • 03 of 07

    Madeira

    Gruyere

    The Spruce / Jennifer Meier

    The island of Madeira off the coast of North Africa, which is considered part of Portugal, is the namesake of this dessert wine that ages for decades. Look for a Malmsey Madeira, which is richer and sweeter but still balanced, as it has more acidity than port wine.

    With a slight flavor of toasted nuts, Madeira pairs well with cheeses that also have a nutty character, such as Gruyère, Petite Basque, and Zamorano. Madeira pairs well with blue cheeses as well.

  • 04 of 07

    Sauternes

    Colorouge washed rind cheese

    The Spruce / Jennifer Meier

    The flavor of this sweet wine from France is often compared to apricots, peaches, and honey with a little touch of nuttiness. The flavor profile of sauternes pairs well with blue cheeses or salty washed rind cheeses like Epoisses, a pungent "stinky cheese" with a rich somewhat meaty flavor.

    Continue to 5 of 7 below.
  • 05 of 07

    Sweet Riesling

    Nocturne goat cheese

    The Spruce / Jennifer Meier

    All Rieslings—dry, off-dry, and sweet—are especially cheese-friendly wines. If you're serving cheese as a dessert course, look for Rieslings with Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, or Late Harvest on the label, as these words all indicate the Riesling will be on the sweeter side.

    Pair sweet Riesling with creamy cheeses like Selles-sur-Cher (or other soft goat cheeses), Reblochon, Camembert, and Muenster, or with harder cheeses that have a "Swiss flavor" such as Comte, Beaufort, and Hoch Ybrig. Rieslings also complement a nice white Cheddar.

  • 06 of 07

    Gewürztraminer

    Greenfields by Saxon Creamery

    The Spruce / Jennifer Meier

    Gewürztraminer, with its aromatic flavors of rose petals, baking spices, apricots, lychee, and citrus, is a white wine that ranges from dry to sweet in style.

    Both styles pair well with full-flavored cheeses—try Hirtenkase or Appenzeller, and Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk, Greenfields by Saxon Creamery, or a Muenster.

  • 07 of 07

    Sweet Sparkling Wines

    Parmigiano-Reggiano

    The Spruce / Jennifer Meier

    Demi-sec Champagnes or Italian Moscato d'Asti are fun sweet sparkling wines for the start of a meal, but they can create a delicious ending as well—especially when enjoyed along with a variety of cheeses. Pair with Parmigiano-Reggiano, soft goat cheeses, or triple-crème cheese.