Ever Wonder? What Makes Some Wines Sweet?

In wines, there is a wide spectrum of sweetness. Those that are not sweet are referred to as “dry” wines while those that are sweet are simple referred to as “sweet” wines. And, in the wine world, this all has to do with ‘residual sugar.’

When wine grapes are ready for harvest, one of the primary indicators to the winemakers is their sugar content. Using a device called a refractometer, they are able to analyze a drop of grape juice and determine its sugar content. By passing light through the juice and measuring the refraction (i.e., the amount that the light bends), the sugar content can be measured. This is referred to as Brix.

So, in simple terms, when the grapes are ready to be harvested they have ‘just the right amount’ of sugar. Anyone who’s had a glass of grape juice with breakfast knows that grape juice is naturally sweet. And, this natural sugar in the grape juice is the key to fermentation. Yeast is added to the grape juice and the live yeast feed on the sugar and converts it to alcohol. And, in general terms, once all the sugar is eaten up, fermentation ends.

But, wine makers have some control over this process. They can allow fermentation to go to the end which means that there is little to no ‘residual sugar’ in the juice that’s now wine. This is the ‘dry’ wine. But, if the fermentation is halted, or only a small amount of yeast is added to the juice, the wine ends up with significant ‘residual sugar.’ And, this results in a ‘sweet’ wine.

That’s a quick overview of sweetness in wine. For further reading, check out these past blogs:

• Factors that Affect How Sweet a Wine Tastes

• What is Residual Sugar in Wine?

• The Fourth Fundamental Trait of a Good Wine – Sweetness

• Is There a Relationship Between a Wine’s Sweetness and Its Alcohol Level?

• Ever Wonder? Why are Wines Referred to as Dry?

• Not All Rosé Wine is Sweet

Not All Rosé Wine is Sweet

I’ve heard it over and over - “I don’t drink rosé…it’s too sweet.” But, that’s not always the case.

Unfortunately, rosé wine’s reputations got ruined in the 1970s with wines such as Mateus, Lancers and especially White Zinfandel. Those are the stereotype rosé wines. And, yes, they were more like strawberry soda pop (hence its popularity). Not that there is anything wrong with strawberry soda or that style of white Zinfandel, it’s just that not all rosé wines are sweet. In fact, most bottles of rosé wine being sold today are not actually sweet.

While our brain naturally associates fruit aromas and flavors with sweetness, they are often not directly associated with each other when it comes to wine. Many rosé wines have aromas and flavors of tropical fruits (pineapple, mango) and red fruits (strawberries, cherries, cranberries, raspberries). These wine flavors and aromas may be processed and interpreted by your brain as being “sweet.” But, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is sweet.

For a wine to be sweet, it must have sugar in it. In the wine world, it’s referred to as residual sugars (RS). That is, natural sugar from the grape’s juice that is not converted to alcohol during fermentation. But, most wines on the store shelf are “Dry” meaning they have a very small amount of residual sugar (1-10 g/L RS).

Today you can find a lot of very nice dry rosés being produced around the world. So try a dry rosé. They are actually not sweet. Cheers!

Confusing Sweetness and Fruitiness in Wine

Many wine drinkers may confuse the taste sensations of sweet and fruity. While our brain naturally associates fruit aromas and flavors with sweetness, they are often not directly associated with each other when it comes to wine.

“Fruity” is a term that gets used to describe a wine that has pronounced flavors or aromas of fruits. With wines, you may experience aromas and flavors of citrus (lemon, lime, orange), orchard fruits (apples, pears), stone fruits (apricots, peaches, plums), tropical fruits (pineapple, mango), red fruits (strawberries, cherries, cranberries, raspberries), or dark fruits (blackberries, blueberries, black currant). These wine flavors and aromas may be processed and interpreted as being “sweet.” But, fruity wines aren’t necessarily sweet. Sauvignon Blanc is a good example. While it offers bright fruit flavors of grapefruit, lime, pear and peach, it is typically low in residual sugar.

For a wine to be sweet, it must have residual sugars (RS). That is, sugar that is intentionally left in the juice that doesn’t get converted to alcohol during fermentation. The categories of wine sweetness include “Dry” (1-10 g/L RS), “Off Dry” (10-35 g/L RS), “Sweet” (35-120 g/L RS) and “Very Sweet” (120+ g/L RS).

Most wines on the store shelf are “Dry” but if you’re looking for sweeter white wines look for Kabinett or Spätlese Riesling, Chenin Blanc or Gewürztraminer. Lambrusco is a sweeter, sparkling red wine. Sweeter red wines, by brand, include Ménage á Trois Red (12 g/L RS), Apothic Red (15 g/L RS), Cocobon Red Blend (12 g/L RS), Yellow Tail Shiraz (12 g/L RS) and Jam Jar (57 g/L RS).

So, don’t be fooled. “Fruity” wine traits don’t necessarily mean it’s a sweet wine. Cheers!

The Four Fundamental Traits of a Good Wine (And How They Must be Balanced)

There are four fundamental traits that comprise a good wine. They are Acidity, Tannin, Alcohol and Sweetness.

For a wine to be considered “good,” each of these traits must be in proper proportion to each another.

This is because each of these four fundamental traits play a vital role in how the wine tastes. If there’s too much of one part, the wine will be off. And, if there’s not enough of a specific component, the wine will be lacking.

Too much acidity will make a wine taste sharp. Too much tannin will make the wine overly astringent. Too much alcohol and the wine will yield a burning sensation in your throat. And, too much residual sugar will make a wine overly sweet.

More specifically, the "hard" components of acidity and tannins typically are used to balance the "soft" components of sweetness and alcohol.

It’s truly is a balancing act for winemakers.

And, a balanced wine is one in which all the fundamental traits work together in harmony.

The Fourth Fundamental Trait of a Good Wine - Sweetness

There are four fundamental traits that comprise a good wine and they all have to work together in balanced harmony. Previously we’ve explored Acidity, Tannin, and Alcohol . Let’s now take a look at Sweetness.

Sweetness in wine comes from natural grape sugars leftover after the fermentation has stopped. Or, by starting with overly-ripe grapes that produce a grape must which is so sweet that the yeast ultimately fails to convert all of it to alcohol. Perceived sweetness can also come from the alcohol itself, the toasted oak barrels used during aging, and simply from wines that are low in acidity.

The sugar that remains in wine is referred to as “residual sugar,” or RS, and is measured in grams per Liter (g/L). Here are the sweetness categories of wines:

• Bone Dry is 0-1 Grams/Liter (e.g., Brut Nature sparkling wines)

• Dry is 0-10 g/L (e.g., most red, white and rosé wines fall in this category, as do Brut & Extra Dry sparkling wines)

• Off-Dry is 10-35 g/L (e.g., Off-dry Riesling, Gewürztraminer, “Dry” sparkling wines)

• Medium-Sweet is 35-120 g/l (e.g., Madeira, Port, Moscato, Sweet Riesling)

• Sweet if the RS is greater than 120 g/L (e.g., Tawny Port, Late-Harvest wines, Cream Sherry)

  (Note: Coca-Cola has around 110 g/L)

In most wines, too much residual sugar results in a wine tasting sickly sweet. Conversely, if there’s absolutely no residual sugar, a wine may taste a bit harsh.

So, next time we’ll conclude this series by looking at how acidity, tannin, alcohol and sweetness must all be in balance in a really good wine. Until then, Cheers!