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Step 1
Know what you are looking for. Port is probably the dessert wine that comes to mind first. The best international Port can be found in...you guessed it...Portugal. Aside from port, Sauternes is an equally famous international dessert wine, which is made in France. Tokay Aszu is also a dessert wine, found often in Hungary, while Muscat is a dessert wine that can be found in many foreign countries. Any late harvest wine or Eiswein (also spelled icewine) are considered dessert wines. Others international favorites are: Sherry, Ruster Ausbruch, Banyuls and some variations of Riesling.
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Step 2
Attend a live or online auction. Auctions are the best places to start collecting international dessert wines. Common auction favorites are Eiswein, Port and Sauternes.
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Step 3
Talk to a wine connoisseur or a sommelier (a wine expert who works in a restaurant or hotel). Heavy collectors sometimes acquire international dessert wines and then later realize they have no desire to keep them. Taking a few bottles of dessert wine off a collector's hands is doing you both a favor. Plus, the cost of the bottles will probably be cheaper. Similarly, sommeliers will have extensive knowledge on who to contact or where to look for international dessert wines. While you're talking to a sommelier, ask them to give you a prediction on the next hot dessert wines.
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Step 4
Comparison shop online. While liquor stores do carry some dessert wines, you will find a greater international selection online. Don't buy from a website until you've compared the price at two or three retailers. For example, a good vintage bottle of Banyuls (French red dessert wine) might cost $50 at a French website or $100 at an Australian site.
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Step 5
Travel abroad to bring back dessert wines. Customs departments can be tedious (every country will be different), but international dessert wines are guaranteed to be sold in France, Portugal, Spain, Australia and Germany.
