Apple Pie pairs best with sweeter wines like Marsala, Late Harvest Riesling, Sauternes, Moscato d’Asti or Tawny Port. When pairing wine with dessert like apple pie, the wine must always be sweeter than the dessert, or else the sweetness of the apple pie will wipe out the flavours of the wine. Apple pie is not too sweet, allowing it to pair with a wide variety of dessert wines.
I’m a stickler for warm apple pie with cheddar cheese served on top. It’s my absolute favourite dessert as the cheddar cheese offers a nice contrast to the sweetness of the pie. Others prefer vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top of their apple pie. If you are serving Ice Cream on top of your apple pie, remember to select a sweeter wine than cheddar cheese or a naked Apple Pie.
In all instances of dessert wine below, serve small portions of wine between 2 to 3 ounces. With sweet wines, a little goes a long way! Sadly, I have learned this from experience as I’ve passed out in front of the television at many Thanksgiving parties by enjoying my dessert wine a little too much.
Best Wine with Apple Pie
| Type | Varietal | Food | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dessert Wine | Sauternes | Apple Pie | |
| Fortified Wine | Marsala, Sweet | Apple Pie | |
| Port | Tawny Port | Caramel Glazed Apple Pie | |
| Beer | Baltic Porter | Apple Pie | |
| White Wine | Riesling | Apple Pie | |
| Sweet Wine | Moelleux Vouvray | Apple Pie | |
| Beer | Imperial Stout | Apple Pie | |
| Beer | Porter | Apple Pie | |
| Beer | Cream Stout | Apple Pie | |
| Dessert Wine | Barsac | Apple Pie | |
| Dessert Wine | Moscato d'Asti | Apple Pie | |
| Port | Tawny Port | Apple Pie | |
| Dessert Wine | Jurançon, Sweet AOC | Apple Pie | |
| Beer | Vanilla Porter | Apple Pie | |
| Beer | Tripel | Apple Pie | |
| Dessert Wine | Trockenbeerenauslese Riesling | Apple Pie | |
| Dessert Wine | Beerenauslese Riesling | Apple Pie | |
| Beer | Altbier | Caramel Glazed Apple Pie | |
| White Wine | Coteaux du Layon Sweet White Wine | Apple Pie | |
| Liquor | Calvados, Basse-Normandie | Apple Pie |
Marsala & Apple Pie Pairing
Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily that ranges from dry, off-dry to sweet. With Apple Pie, I’d recommend the Sweet version of Marsala as a wine pairing. Sweet Marsala has nutty, vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar notes that are spectacular with Apple Pie filling and buttery crust. The toffee, caramel, apple, and honey flavours of Marsala blend in nicely with the apple flavours bringing out flavours of candy apple. Meanwhile, there’s a hint of smoke that exceptional with any cheddar cheese resting on top of your Apple Pie À la Mode.
Sauternes Wine & Apple Pie
Sauternes is a full-bodied dessert wine from Bordeaux and is lush with honey, peach, butterscotch, caramel pineapple, vanilla, and toasted baking spices. The tangy spicy notes dust each bite with a touch of cinnamon that is delicious when combined with a slice of Apple Pie.
Sauternes is a difficult wine to produce, and this is reflected in the high cost of this luscious sweet wine. Thus, it’s not a wine you’d want to serve at a banquet. However, for small family gatherings during the fall harvest season, Sauternes makes for a special treat. If budget is an issue, or you have difficulty finding a Sauternes, seek out a Barsac, which features similar flavours but an a much more affordable price.
Moscato d’Asti & Apple Pie Pairing
Moscato d’Asti is a sweet and fizzy wine from the Piedmont region of Italy featuring peach, apricot, honey, lemon, and vanilla notes. The apricot, peach and pear notes fit right in with the tangy apple flavours in a baked apple pie. Meanwhile, the fizzy bubbles in Moscato d’Asti wash away the buttery crust flavours of your apple pie, and any cheddar cheese served with your pie. Low in alcohol, Moscato d’Asti is the perfect way to wrap up a fall banquet or large family gathering such as Thanksgiving.
Riesling (sweet) & Apple Pie Pairing
A late harvest Riesling from North America or a German Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese has a sticky texture and flavours of lime, apricot, honey, peach, and pear that are exceptional with Apple Pie. The citrus flavours bring out the apple nuances while also cutting through the buttery crust. Dessert-oriented Rieslings are frequently slightly effervescent, which aids in breaking through the buttery crust flavours or fats found in ice cream, whipped cream or cheddar cheese that clog our taste buds.
Tawny Port & Apple Pie
Tawny Port is an excellent wine pairing with Apple Pie as this fortified wine from Portugal is syrupy with nutty and caramel notes. Tawny Port complements every bite of apple pie while adding in additional flavours of raisins, fig, walnuts, brown sugar, toffee and baking spices that make the pairing even more enjoyable.
Tawny Port is high in alcohol, so stick to 2-3 ounce portions. Because Port is sweet, it is deceptive as the sweetness masks its high-alcohol content. This can make it very easy to over-indulge, so it’s best to limit the portion size, so nobody ends up face down in their Apple Pie at the end of their meal.