H Street Sweet: Dolcezza Gelato + Dessert Wine Pairings
There’s (almost) nothing I don’t love about life in D.C.’s Stanton Park neighborhood: the Capitol Hill charm (think colorful rowhouses and tree-lined streets), the buzzing restaurant scenes around H Street and Union Market and the fact that I can walk a few minutes, hop on a train at Union Station and be in New York before lunchtime. Add spring cherry blossoms and a walkable commute to many of my favorite Northwest haunts, and it’s everything a girl could want.
Well—almost. The one thing we’ve been missing? A solid local spot for ice cream. Until now, grabbing a post-dinner scoop meant a 20-minute trek to Eastern Market or stashing supermarket pints in the freezer (fine, but not exactly romantic).
Enter: Dolcezza, newly opened on H Street—my ice cream dream come true.
Meet Dolcezza: D.C.’s Gelato Darling (Now on H Street!)
Dolcezza isn’t just a gelato shop—it’s a D.C. staple. Made in small batches with locally sourced ingredients (most from within 100 miles of its Union Market shop), their gelato leans bold, seasonal, and seriously smooth. They’re known for flavors that hit the sweet spot between classic and inventive—like roasted strawberry, honeycrisp sorbet, Thai coconut milk, and peanut butter stracciatella. Yum!
💡Pro Tip: While they may seem similar, gelato technically isn’t just Italian for ice cream. It’s churned slower (so less air), served warmer (so more flavor), and made with more milk than cream—giving it that ultra-smooth, dense texture and intense flavor.
Their new H Street location brings all the charm of their original shops—minimalist interiors, friendly staff, and dangerously good coffee—with a fresh neighborhood vibe. It’s my new go-to for sweet treats.
Yes, I’m already a regular—and I’ve officially swapped my supermarket pints for Dolcezza’s inventive flavors.
But you know what’s even better than dessert? Dessert paired with…desssert. A scoop of gelato with a glass of dessert wine.
When Dessert Meets Dessert: Wine + Dolcezza Gelato Pairings to Try
Wine and cheese may get all the love, but dessert wine and gelato? That brings its own kind of magic.
When pairing gelato with wine, sweetness matters—a lot. If your wine isn’t at least as sweet as your gelato, it can taste sour or flat by comparison. That’s why dessert wines are the real MVPs: their natural sweetness balances the sugar in the gelato, while bright acidity and layered complexity keep things from getting cloying. The right match doesn’t just work—it elevates both scoop and the sip, making every flavor taste better—more vibrant, more complex, more wow.
Below are five standout Dolcezza flavors and their dessert wine soulmates, with a little background on what makes each dessert wine so special.
🥜 Peanut Butter Stracciatella + 10-Year Tawny Port
Stracciatella is Italian code for creamy vanilla bean gelato with fine shards of chocolate throughout. Dolcezza’s take adds an American twist with the addition of creamy peanut butter.
A 10-year Tawny Port is aged in oak barrels, giving it warm flavors of toasted nuts, dried figs, toffee, and spice. It’s velvety without being too sweet and brings just the right amount of depth to play with the peanut butter and chocolate combo.
📝 Try: Graham’s 10-Year Tawny or Quinta do Noval Tawny
🌑 Black Sesame + Tokaji Aszú
Black sesame gelato is nutty, earthy, and unexpected—it’s uniquely savory for a gelato, which makes it incredibly interesting to pair.
Tokaji Aszú, from Hungary, is made from botrytized grapes (aka “noble rot”), concentrating the sugars and acids to create a wine that’s lusciously sweet but beautifully balanced. Expect notes of honey, orange peel, and dried apricot that complement and brighten the black sesame.
📝 Try: Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos or Disznókő Late Harvest
🍓 Roasted Strawberry + Lambrusco Rosso Amabile
Roasted strawberry gelato is next-level—jammy, tangy, and just a touch caramelized. It tastes like summer, but with depth.
Pair it with a lightly sparkling Lambrusco Rosso Amabile, and you’ve got a match made in fruity heaven. This off-dry red sparkler from Emilia-Romagna brings bright berry notes, a soft fizz, and just enough sweetness to echo the gelato without making things too syrupy. It’s playful, refreshing, and low-alcohol—a perfect sunset pairing.
📝 Try: Cleto Chiarli “Vecchia Modena” Lambrusco or Medici Ermete “Concerto”
🌰 Hazelnut Crackle + Madeira
Hazelnut crackle is a textural dream—smooth gelato meets caramelized hazelnut crunch. It’s evocative of fall and a great one to reach for if you’re looking to feel cozy during D.C.’s recent cold snap.
Madeira, especially in the richer styles like Bual or Malmsey, is a fortified wine from Portugal that’s aged using heat and oxidation, giving it complex flavors of brown sugar, toffee, roasted nuts, and even citrus peel. Its complex notes can hold its own against bold flavors and bold textures.
📝 Try: Blandy’s Bual Madeira or Rare Wine Co. “Boston Bual”
🍋 Meyer Lemon Sorbet + Moscato d’Asti
Or, if you’re anxiously awaiting summer, there’s meyer lemon sorbet is fresh, zippy, and has that just-right balance of tart and sweet.
Moscato d’Asti is a gently sparkling, low-alcohol wine from Piedmont, Italy, known for its delicate sweetness and notes of peach, orange blossom, and honey. The bubbles add lift, and the sweetness rounds out the lemon’s zing without flattening it.
📝 Try: Vietti “Cascinetta” Moscato d’Asti or Saracco Moscato
Want these gelato and dessert wine recs on the go? Download my pairing cheat sheet.
The Final Scoop
I’m officially declaring this the summer of Scoop & Sip. Whether you’re building a post-dinner tasting flight, throwing a backyard party, or just treating yourself after a long day, pairing gelato with dessert wine is the kind of low-effort, high-reward treat we all deserve.
Most of these wines are under $40 (many under $25), and they keep beautifully in the fridge for weeks—meaning one bottle can see you through many, many scoops. And thanks to Dolcezza’s arrival on H Street, you don’t even have to leave the neighborhood.
Next time you grab a pint (or two…or three), swing by your favorite wine shop too. Or better yet, invite some friends over and host a full scoop-and-sip flight night for an indulgent girls’ night in.
Want more pairing guides, wine recs, and neighborhood gems? Drop a comment or follow me on Instagram and Vivino—and don’t forget to tag me if you try any of these combos. I’d love to know what you think!
