Best dessert wines in Paso Robles for the holidays
– Sweet, sticky dessert wines can make a great accompaniment to holiday dessert selections. After tasting several Paso Robles dessert wines, these are our top recommendations.
Enjoy these wines by a crackling fire, or cellar them. They will continue to develop in the bottle for the next 10-15 years.
Serve them after your holiday meal with a dessert or as dessert by itself. These sweet wines also pair wonderfully with cheeses. They also make perfect holiday gifts from Paso Robles. Enjoy!
Top local dessert wine recommendations
Barr Estate Winery 2013 Grande Finale – $30
An exquisite blend of 60% Touriga Nacional and 40% souzao delivers a full mouthfeel with a light finish not often found in port-style wines. Enjoy with chocolate, fresh berries, ice cream, blue cheese, stilton, or a good cigar.
Dubost 2015 Blood of Jove – $30
Dark opaque in color with a ruby core, this dessert wine is 100% Touriga Nacional, fortified with brandy. Featuring notes of toasted nuts, dried cherry, caramel and oak. This wine creates a bright sweetness at the front of the palate followed by a rich caramel finish.
Eberle 2023 Muscat Canelli – $24
A delightfully indulgent wine, where the essence of white peach and Meyer lemon meld in bright, luscious flavors that include hints of ginger, the aroma of jasmine blossoms and a whisper of guava adding tropical allure. It’s the perfect pairing partner for spicy food, complementing sriracha honey-glazed salmon or prosciutto-wrapped cantaloupe and dried fruits and nuts. It won a double gold from the San Francisco Wine Competition.
Glunz Family Winery Mission Angelica – $35
This treat was aged in an oak solera with a tiered system to infuse layers of flavors. The base wines from the 1960 and 1963 vintages, for an average of over 30 years. The result is outstanding. This wine is loaded with toasted hazelnut, butterscotch and maple syrup flavors and a balancing acidity.
Graveyard Vineyards Deliverance – $38
Chocolate! Touriga Nacional grapes, originally from Portugal, are used perfectly in this port-style wine. It is infused with several different natural chocolate flavors and a hint of raspberry. It’s a unique and desirable dessert wine. Try pouring some sparkling wine in it for a twist. It earned a 4-star gold medal from the Orange County Wine Society and 98 points from the Consumer Int’l Wine Competition.
PasoPort Angelica White Port – $50
This aged white port is crafted from a blend of verdelho, muscat blanc, and dry-farmed chenin blanc grapes, with some barrel-aged components dating back to 2003. It has aromas of orange essence, hyacinth, and lilac. The flavors are vibrant and complex, featuring white peach, tangerine, and crème. The finish is memorable. A cold soak on the skins before pressing adds color and aromatic depth, while fortification with a neutral brandy preserves its delicateness. Best enjoyed with crème brûlée and dried apricot chutney. It earned multiple silver medals.
PasoPort Tawny Port – $52
This tawny was aged more than 10 years. It boasts classic aromas and flavors of roasted hazelnuts, caramel, with a touch of orange. The aging has softened the wine, blending the brandy seamlessly for a smooth, silky texture. Its flavors include sweet holiday spices, rum cake, plum sauce, and a finish of vanilla bean. Ideal pairings include chocolate caramel tart with drunken raspberries and vanilla crème fraîche. It earned gold medals at the Central Coast and Orange County Wine Competitions.
Sculpterra J. Jagger Primitivo Port – $44
This port-style wine is packed with aromas of ripe fig, rich chocolate raspberry truffle, and toasted jam. This wine’s bouquet displays hints of caramel apple, licorice, and candied cherries, followed with a tender, sweet, and balanced finish. It was one of our favorites.
Victor Hugo “Modo” 2019 Late Harvest Malbec Port – $32
This dessert port has a depth of color and deep aromas of unsweetened chocolate and roast coffee give way to sweet boysenberries and cassis. With strong tannins, it delivers an extended finish with oak and baking spices lingering. It pairs well with chocolate truffles or robust cheeses.
Vista Del Rey 2018 Barbera Dessert Wine — $30
Winemaker Dave King took a little barbera and made a dessert wine in a port style. The result is a superb and sticky dessert wine. It tastes like dark berries, dark chocolate, and spices. It is 19 percent alcohol and comes in a 375ml bottle.
Look for more local wine recommendations coming soon
- Best local sparkling wines
- Best local rosé wines
- Best local white wines
- Best local zinfandel wines
- Best local pinot noir
- Best Spanish-style wines
- Best local Rhone-style red wines and red blends
- Best cabernet, Bordeaux-style, and red wines
- Best local dessert wines
Publisher’s note: For the 11th year in a row we thought it would be fun to recommend local wines for the holidays. Once again, we received an amazing amount of participation from our local wineries. Over the last two weeks, we received more than 150 entries. Fortunately, there were many solid, well-made Paso Robles wines to recommend. We have created several lists of top local wines into categories. The recommended wines above are in alphabetical order.
