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 ...
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 ster...
You may have heard of wines being described as “dry.” When I started out learning about wines, I was told that the best wines are dry wines. But what does that really mean? The problem is that the term can mean a couple of different things. Some pe...
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 ...
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...
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 gra...
Ever wonder what “Vin Sec” means on the label of a bottle of Riesling? In French it literally means ‘dry wine.’ Riesling is a wine that is most famously produced in Germany where nearly half the world’s Riesling grapes are grown. Other great produ...
During a recent wine tasting, one opinion given of the wine was that it was sweet. My reaction was that it wasn’t sweet at all. So, how can a wine seem sweet and not sweet at the same time? Well, as you’d expect, everyone’s perception of taste is di...
2015 Gerd Anselmann Pfalz Trocken Riesling ($14) This German Riesling, from the region of Pfalz, is “Trocken” meaning dry (little to no residual sugar). So, while many German Rieslings are sweet, this is an example of one that, while having little...
When choosing a wine, one of the characteristics of interest to you might be its sweetness. But how can you really tell if a wine has sweet tendencies? The label may have some sentences on the back label to tell you just a little bit about the wi...
Last time, the topic of residual sugar was discussed. Simply put, residual sugar (RS) is a measure of the sugar (typically in grams per liter) that remains in wine after fermentation. During an uninterrupted fermentation, the yeast will continue to...
One of the terms that gets thrown around in the wine world is ‘Residual Sugar.’ But it’s not something you are going to read about on a wine’s label. So, what is it and why should you care? Let’s take a quick step back and review the basics of the w...
Champagne is a great drink. It’s most often consumed in times of celebration. Champagne and joy naturally go together. But “Champagne” is often misunderstood. And splurging on a $100 bottle may result in disappointment. First, let’s take a step back...
Light bodied white wines are a great place to start when learning about and tasting wines. They are fresh and crisp with bright fruit flavors and high acidity. So the next step up is into medium bodied and full bodied whites. As I have been rese...
You may have heard or even used the phrase regarding the preference for a dry wine. But what does that really mean? The problem is that the term gets used in a couple different ways. When referring to a dry wine, a lot of people are referring to t...