Comments on: Winespeak: The opposite of sweet is dry

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:42:46 +0000

Isn´t it apparent that acidity is underrated here ?? No wine and specially white wines can do without acidity. The higher the acidity the more “dry” the wine will appear on the palate !! German wine law takes this into consideration – Dry German Wines may have up to 9 gramms RS with an acidity of also 9 gramms !! Once you have tasted a number of these – you will have to interprete “dryness” anew. Nancy is correct,even when I cannot follow when she talks of Tonic Water or Pop !!

By: Nancy

Nancy — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:39:15 +0000

I first understood “dry” upon tasting dry rieslings. They leave a tonic-water aftertaste which I find quite unpleasant. It also seems to me that many people — newbies, perhaps? — have no patience to wait for the acidic balance or dry finish that often accompanies a “sweet” wine. A hit of sugar on the tongue from a riesling or a vouvray immediately brings the reaction, “wine shouldn’t taste like pop.”

By: Josh from Wine Tastings Guide

Josh from Wine Tastings Guide — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:16:13 +0000

I think all the classification and naming for various levels of sweetness is kinda silly (except for winemakers). For drinkers, the most important thing is balance. And I’m not just talking Champagne and dosage. An Auslese with a fair amount of residual sugar but intense fresh acidity and minerality tastes vibrant, balanced and great with food. However, an over-ripe, but technically dry, Cali Cab with low acid and gobs of sweet fruit can taste downright cloying and not very food friendly.

I think we should focus more on comparing wine styles and what their use is at table (or not at table) rather than specific categories of sweetness based on absolute values of residual sugar. A good Sauternes can be a dessert wine, but it can also be a wonderful companion to a foie gras dish early in a dinner. That tells you a lot more about the wine than simply saying “its a sweet wine”.

Just my $.02!

Great blog! Cheers!

By: JR Coleman

JR Coleman — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:42:44 +0000

Heard you last night on Blogstein. Funny show!

By: michael

michael — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:45:15 +0000

actually, there are a lot more classifications for sweetness than that. but i’m guessing you’re just playing coy with us. ; )

but if you want a very good comparison from the same region, get vouvray and taste the gamut from sec to moelleux, and even petillant. and further frustrate your class with trying to identify them as many are not labelled with a sweetness indicator! oh, and follow it up with a mushroomy savennieres from down the road just to really knock ‘em out. heh.

By: Andrzej Daszkiewicz

Andrzej Daszkiewicz — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 02:02:55 +0000

Dylan, the most concentrated eszencia (free-run juice from botrytized grapes) ever made at Tokaji Disznoko had, if I remember correctly, 917 grams of RS per litre, and it does not really matter if it was before or after fermentation, which in this case takes a few years and ends at 2% of alcohol …

By: Dylan

Dylan — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:25:28 +0000

Wow, did I read that correctly? A wine with 450 grams of residual sugar, when 60 was just touted as being fairly sweet. Does pouring this wine also require a honey comb?

The post was educational and to the point, thanks for the quick lesson on RS.

By: Andrzej Daszkiewicz

Andrzej Daszkiewicz — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:53:01 +0000

And if you are done with your eszencia, rinse your glass with some dry furmint to get another glass of some delicious and still pretty sweet stuff

By: Dr. Vino

Dr. Vino — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:46:37 +0000

True enough, Andrzej! Corrected above. I’ve had an eszencia or two and, while no doubt sweet enough to attract hummingbirds from miles around, it can be delicious.

By: Andrzej Daszkiewicz

Andrzej Daszkiewicz — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:40:09 +0000

About Tokaji: the correct minima are 60 grams/l for 3 puttonyos aszu, 90 for 4-puttonyos, 120 for 5-puttonyos and 150 for 6-puttonyos. 250 g/l would belong to the rare aszu eszencia category, above which there is one more, even more rare natur eszencia, starting at, I believe, 450 grams …

By: Jesse Porter

Jesse Porter — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:27:28 +0000

As I mentioned elsewhere, the “sweet vs. fruity” thing always stymies our newbies. It’s tricky, because here we are, telling them that this wine tastes like melon, and pear, and even honey — the three sweetest things ever — yet the wine is allegedly dry?!

This distinction is one of the most difficult for beginners to get ahold of — and even once they understand the concept, it’s still difficult in practice to distinguish fruity and sweet from just fruity.