Holiday Sparkling Wine Trifle with Mascarpone, Clementines, and Panettone

This holiday sparkling wine trifle layers soft mascarpone cream with tender panettone cubes, fresh clementines, pomegranate arils, and a lightly reduced sparkling wine that adds a subtle aroma rather than a strong flavour. With its airy texture, bright fruit, and festive presentation, this elegant dessert makes a beautiful addition to Christmas and New Year’s tables.

Hey, folks – I hope you’re all doing well.

Today, I’m sharing a cheerful and refreshing holiday dessert that feels luxurious yet wonderfully simple to assemble. With creamy mascarpone, citrusy clementines, soft panettone, and just a touch of sparkling wine reduction, this trifle delivers bright winter flavours without being heavy. So, let’s dive into this holiday sparkling wine trifle.

Why You’ll Love This Holiday Sparkling Wine Trifle

• Light & Festive: A refreshing alternative to rich holiday desserts, with bright fruit and airy cream.
• Subtle Sparkling Wine Aroma: The reduced wine adds fragrance and depth without overpowering the dessert.
• Beautiful Layers: Panettone, mascarpone, and fruit create eye-catching contrast in a trifle bowl or glasses.
• Effortless Assembly: Minimal cooking and quick preparation make it perfect for entertaining.
• Flexible Portions: Serve in a large bowl or as individual trifles.

Flavour and Texture Profile

This trifle is creamy, airy, and refreshingly light. The mascarpone mixture is silky and only lightly sweetened, while the reduced sparkling wine adds a delicate floral-citrus aroma rather than strong wine flavour. Panettone provides soft, slightly sweet layers, and the clementines and pomegranate arils bring lively bursts of freshness. The result is a festive dessert that feels elegant and balanced.

Ingredients You’ll Need for the Holiday Sparkling Wine Trifle

• Sparkling wine: Reduced to concentrate its subtle aroma and sweetness.
• Mascarpone: Creamy and smooth, the base of the filling.
• Icing sugar: Sweetens the mascarpone blend.
• Panettone: Soft, lightly sweet bread that absorbs the wine beautifully.
• Mandarin oranges or clementines: Fresh, juicy citrus segments add brightness.
• Pomegranate arils: Colourful, tart bursts that complement the mascarpone.
• Trifle bowl or glasses: For assembly and layering.

Possible Additions and Variations

• Extra Citrus: Add orange zest to the mascarpone for stronger brightness.
• More Fruit: Add raspberries or strawberries for colour variation.
• Nutty Finish: Sprinkle pistachios or toasted almonds on top.
• Chocolate Twist: Fold in shaved dark chocolate for richness.

How to Make This Festive Panettone Trifle

In a saucepan, bring the sparkling wine to a boil over medium–high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until it reduces to about 1 cup, roughly 12–15 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. In a mixing bowl, beat the mascarpone with the icing sugar on low speed until smooth. Reserve about one quarter of the reduced wine for soaking. Starting with around 150 ml (½ cup), add the reduced sparkling wine to the mascarpone and mix until incorporated; adjust with more wine or sugar depending on thickness and sweetness.

To assemble, spread a little mascarpone cream on the bottom of your trifle bowl or glasses. Add a layer of clementine segments and sprinkle with pomegranate arils. Drizzle with a little of the reserved sparkling wine. Add more mascarpone cream, then scatter panettone cubes over top and sprinkle them with additional reduced wine. Continue layering until all ingredients are used, finishing with the mascarpone. Garnish with more pomegranate arils, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

More Delicious Recipes

Are you looking for more festive holiday dessert recipes, like this holiday sparkling wine trifle? Be sure to check more ideas below:

• Festive Pistachio Panettone Trifle – Easy No-Bake Dessert
• Irish Cream Chocolate Dessert – Easy Holiday Treat
• Festive Chocolate Cranberry Orange Trifle – The Ultimate Christmas Dessert
• Festive Cranberry Trifle – An Easy Holiday Dessert
• Panettone Tiramisu Trifle – Easy Christmas Dessert

I’d love for you to try this festive holiday sparkling wine trifle. If you give the recipe a go, please share your results in the comments, message me on Instagram, or post your photos with the hashtag #havocinthekitchen. I look forward to seeing your creations and hearing your thoughts!

Cheers and happy holidays!

Print

Holiday Sparkling Wine Trifle

Recipe by Ben | Havocinthekitchen

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Christmas, Boozy Desserts and Treats, Festive Christmas Desserts, Chilled and No-Bake Desserts

Holiday sparkling wine trifle with mascarpone, panettone, and clementines – an elegant Christmas dessert with a subtle sparkling wine aroma.

Servings

6-8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 500 ml. (2 cups) sparkling wine of your choice; I used Prosecco

• 450 gr. mascarpone

• 4 tbsp. (~32 gr.) icing sugar – may need some extra

• 250-300 gr. panettone, crust removed

• 3-4 mandarin oranges or clementines, peeled and segmented

• 1/3 cup (~60 gr.) pomegranate arils

• Serving:

• You will need a small-medium trifle bowl for ~1500 ml. or smaller glasses for individual serving

Directions

• In a small-medium saucepan, bring the sparkling wine to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and allow to simmer until reduced down to about 1 cup, about 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat and let aside to cool completely.
• In a large bowl using a hand or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, over lower speed, beat the mascarpone with the icing sugar, until smooth and combined, about 30 seconds.
• Reserve about 1/4 of the reduced sparkling wine for soaking the. Starting with ~ 1/2 cup (150 ml.), add the reduced sparkling wine to the mascarpone and beat again to incorporate; depending on how thick your mascarpone is, you can add more. Also, since sparkling wines vary in sweetness, you may want to add some extra icing sugar.
• To assemble, add a little of the mascarpone cream on the bottom of your bowl or glasses. Layer the mandarin oranges and sprinkle with the pomegranate arils. Sprinkle with a little of the reserved reduced sparkling wine. Layer the mascarpone cream and then the panettone cubes; sprinkle the panettone with the reduced sparkling wine. Depending on your serving option, alternate the layers until you use up the ingredients. The top layer should be the mascarpone. Sprinkle with pomegranate arils, if desired.
• Let the trifle stay refrigerated for 2 hours before serving. Enjoy!