Wines May Seem Sweet, But Most Are Extremely Dry

Dry Wines

A friend asks me to recommend a dry wine. I explain that wines may seem sweet, but the most are extremely dry. I ask her what she means by dry and she can’t explain it. This is common because most people don’t know what constitutes a dry wine. The definition of dry means that there is little to no residual sugar left in the wine. Virtually all of the sugar in the grapes ferment into alcohol. Once this happens, the wine is now dry. Remember that dry is NOT a taste, rather it is a feeling. So why do some wines feel drier than others?

Tannins In Wines Give Wine A Dry Feeling

Wines have a compound called tannins in them. Tannins give your mouth the feeling of dryness after you swallow, because they are astringent. The amount of tannins varies depending upon the grape and wine making process. Keep in mind that the more tannins a wine has, then the more age worthy it is. Tannins protect the wine as it ages in your cellar. They weaken over time so a properly aged wine will feel less dry.

Sweet Wines

Most sweet wines are dessert wines. Many dessert wines have sugar intentionally put in them usually in the form of brandy which fortifies them. Therefore, fortified wines are higher in alcohol usually about 17-20%. Fortification was initially done to help preserve the wine due to the higher alcohol content. Port is a good example of fortified wine. With all port, the fermentation process is stopped by adding brandy. This is called fortifying the wine. The higher alcohol content causes the yeast to stop fermentation, which leaves behind unfermented sugar. With some dessert wines, brandy is added at the end of fermentation to create a dryer dessert wine. Some examples are Sherry and Madeira.

Sweetness Exposed

Many people ask me when I tell them that most wines are dry, not sweet, why does my wine still taste sweet? I explain that wines have many fruity aromas and tastes. Our brain interprets fruity as sweet. The best wine to experience this with is riesling. Their fruity wines are dry, not sweet.

Exceptions

Of course there are many exceptions. There is one that I don’t like in particular. Some wineries add a little sugar or grape juice to their otherwise dry wine to cover up flaws or give the wine a better mouthfeel. The thing is you’ll never know which once it is done. What we do know is that a man named Jess Jackson popularized this process with his Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay. The bottom line is he made a fortune. Personally, I do not prefer to have sugar or grape juice added to my wine.

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