Dry Wine
Dry Wine
Dry wine is a wine that contains very little to no residual sugar, resulting in a flavor profile that lacks sweetness. It is defined by sugar levels (often under 4g/L) and not by mouth drying tannins. Dry wines are created by allowing the yeast to consume almost all the natural grape sugars during fermentation. They can taste fruity, crisp or acidic and good examples include Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Merlot and Syrah. A dry sparkling wine is labeled “brut”.
See Also
Natural Wine
Natural wine is produced with minimal intervention, using organic or biodynamic grapes and little to no additives, synthetic chemicals, preservatives or artificial yeasts. There is no legal definition for natural wine and it is often described as a winemaking philosophy, rather than a strict style.
Brut
Brut is the French term for dry sparkling wine with very low sugar content: specifically less than 12 grams per liter (g/L) of residual sugar.
Sec
'Sec" refers to the French word for "dry" and its meaning in wine varies depending on the wine type. In still wines, sec wines have very little residual sugar (less than 4 g/L), while in sparkling wines and Champagne, "sec" indicates an off dry or slightly sweet style with 17-35 g/L of residual sugar.
Porto
Porto is the official name for Port. It is a a sweet, fortified red wine made from traditional grapes like Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesca, Touriga Nacional and others in Duoro Valley, Portugal.
Blend
A blend is the combination of two or more different grape varieties, vineyard parcels, fermented wines or vintages to create a more balanced, complex and consistent wine.
Barolo
Barolo is a prestigious, full bodied Italian DOCG red wine from Piedmont, Italy. Made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes, it is known as the "King of Wines" and is characterized by high tannins, high acidity and floral aromas.
Madeira
Madeira is a fortified wine from the Portuguese island of Madeira, famous for being produced under intense heat and oxidation, which makes it exceptionally age worthy.
Fortified Wine
Fortified wine is a style of wine to which a distilled spirit (usually brandy) has been added, resulting in a higher alcohol content (15-22%). The spirits are either added during fermentation to create sweet wines like Port, or after fermentation to craft dry wines like Sherry.