Nor does it account for fortified wines, such as port, which are both sweet and higher in alcohol. For example, a bottle with a 14 percent alcohol content may still taste a little sweet if the varietal is naturally fruitier or less acidic. Unfortunately, this method is not always foolproof because it does not take the flavor profile of the grape variety into consideration. If it is 11 percent or lower, the wine is 'probably' on the sweeter side - less alcohol usually means more residual sugar.

One rule of thumb for learning how to read a wine label is to check the percent of alcohol on the label. Try a Sauternes for white or a nice Port for red. If you like to stay on the truly sweet side, dessert or port wines are your best bet. Riesling finds itself on the semi-sweet end of the white spectrum, while Zinfandel even though mostly dry, can come across as a slightly sweet red due to its jammy, fruit-forward flavors. If you like dry reds, on the other hand, think Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir. Some of the most beloved dry whites include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Grigio. While you don't have to be the kind of wine expert who knows every single wine varietal or style available on the market - as that would be nearly impossible for most - it is helpful to familiarize yourself with some of the most popular styles out there. ‌ Learn a Few of the Most Common Wine Styles Now that you know which factors make a wine sweet or dry, use these tips to make your wine shopping a breeze. Naturally, anything that smells sweet is likely to taste sweet. ‌įinally, aroma plays a role in how sweet a wine will taste on your tongue.

A varietal that is higher in acidity is likely to taste drier, which is why some producers of high-acidity wine leave a few grams of residual sugar in the bottle to balance the overall palate. ‌Īcidity is another factor that affects how sweet or dry a wine tastes. A pairing with salty food is also likely to reduce the dry taste of a wine. People with more proteins in their saliva, for example, may be less affected by the dryness of a tannin-heavy wine. No two people have the same reaction to the tannins in wine. Tannins - bitter and astringent compounds found in things like walnuts, tea, and cranberries - are what give dry wines their signature mouthfeel (think Cabernet Sauvignon or Barolo). ‌Tannins also play a role in separating the sweet from the dry. But the fermentation process is not the only thing that determines how sweet the contents of your glass will be.

Semi-dry or semi-sweet wines are somewhere in the middle, whereas a true dessert wine will have much more sugar. While dry wines retain little or no sugar, sweet wines have varying degrees of sugar left in the finished wine. Whether a wine is sweet or dry ultimately depends on the amount of residual sugar retained from the grapes during the fermentation process. Read on to learn why wines vary in sweetness, and how to avoid that first disappointing sip. The good news is that there is a better way. ‌Īt that moment, you are probably thinking that there has to be a better way to figure out if a wine is dry or sweet before you get it home. As a wine enthusiast, nothing is more frustrating than buying a bottle of vino only to discover it doesn't taste exactly as you hoped - it's just not as sweet or as dry as you thought it would be.

Sweet dry red wine