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!