Dessert Wines

Dessert wines, sometimes called pudding wines, are sweet wines typically served with dessert. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal, as opposed to the white fortified wines (fino and amontillado sherry) drunk before the meal, and the red fortified wines (port and madeira) drunk after it.

Thus, most fortified wines are regarded as distinct from dessert wines, but some of the less strong fortified white wines, such as Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise can be regarded as a dessert wine.

By contrast, in the United States, a dessert wine is legally defined as any wine over 14% alcohol by volume, which includes all fortified wines - and is taxed more highly as a result.