Often sweet and always smooth, dessert wines are perfect for sipping.
Map by Victoria Borges
Perfect for sipping after a meal, dessert wines are often (but not always) sweet, smooth, and higher in alcohol than your typical reds and whites, so a little goes a long way. Look for unusually sized bottles and names like late harvest, passito, port-style, and ice wine. Here are a few to try.
- Barboursville Vineyards, Barboursville: Paxxito (Malvaxia). Editor’s Note: In March 2021, Barboursville won its fifth Virginia Governor’s Cup for its 2015 Paxxito. Click here to watch the awards presentation.
- 868 Estate Vineyards, Hillsboro: 2017 Vidal Blanc Passito
- Ankida Ridge Vineyards, Amherst: Rockgarden Vin Doux
- Bluemont Vineyard, Bluemont: NV Norton Port
- Chateau Morrisette Winery, Floyd: Sweet Mountain Laurel, Red Mountain Laurel
- Crosskeys Vineyards, Mt. Crawford: Ali 2017
- Grayhaven Winery, Gum Spring: Rivercrest
- Horton Vineyards, Gordonsville: Xoco Rojo, Xoco Blanco
- King Family Vineyards, Crozet: Seven 2017
- Linden Vineyards, Linden: Linden Late Harvest Vidal
- Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery, Leon: Rapidan River Chocolate
- Rockbridge Vineyard & Brewery, Raphine: 2017 V d’or
- Stinson Vineyards, Crozet: Petit Manseng 2017
This article originally appeared in the February 2021 issue.
