Lately, we’ve been thinking a lot about the issue of sweetness in what are supposedly dry wines. For decades, wine professionals have acknowledged that many consumers like to “talk dry” but “drink sweet.” But now wine producers themselves are “talking dry” and yet “producing sweet.” And it is not just mass-market wines for the less sophisticated wine drinker. It is also mid-priced wines and even elite wines.
The whole frame of reference for sweetness in wines has shifted. Approximately 2 grams of sugar per liter in wines are considered “unfermentable.” In the past, most dry wines had just about that amount of residual sugar after fermentation. Then, about 15 years ago, a winemaker from California said the threshold at which sugar is detectable is 5 grams per liter for the typical wine drinker. Therefore any wine with fewer than 5 grams of residual sugar is technically dry. Recently, we read that any wine with fewer than 10 grams of residual sugar is dry.
What complicates the whole discussion of sweetness is that a wine can give an impression of sweetness or dryness that does not directly correspond to the amount of residual sugar in the wine. High acidity, for example, can counterbalance sweetness and make a wine taste dryer than it is. That’s why Germany’s rules about what can be labeled trocken or halbtrocken—dry or nearly dry—dictate not only the amount of residual sugar in the wine but also the relationship of the residual sugar to the wine’s acidity.
Tannin can also diminish the impression of sweetness in a wine. And high alcohol can exacerbate the impression of sweetness, up to a point, beyond which it creates harshness. It is the wine’s balance of these components that governs how sweet the wine tastes, and then of course it ultimately depends on who is tasting.
Today’s wines definitely deliver more impression of sweetness than the same type of wine did even five years ago. We particularly notice the sweetness in inexpensive Pinot Noirs. Most in that category do not offer the soft tannins and fresh, vibrant, berry fruitiness that define Pinot Noir.
Inexpensive Chardonnays also can be sweet. Sometimes that’s good because their alcohol levels are so high that the wines would taste harsh and burning if not for the distracting sweetness.
One of the reasons that finer wines are sweeter today is probably that the grapes themselves are given the opportunity to get sweeter on the vine before being harvested. Even if the wine is fermented dry, the high alcohol levels arising from the sugar-rich grapes contribute an impression of sweetness in the wine. This sweetness is not necessarily unpleasant in any particular wine. It is the prevalence of sweetness in so many wines, hand in hand with extreme alcohol levels, that bothers us. As more wines rely on sweetness for their appeal, the more normal and accepted sweetness will be, and the fewer truly dry wines will remain.
It is important for wine professionals to recognize the sweetness in wines that they sample, and to taste carefully to determine whether the wine strikes an acceptable balance. Wines that are overly sweet can be appealing on first sip, but the pleasure they give may not sustain itself long enough to last the course of a meal. Sweetness in a wine can also affect the wine’s affinity for food, which can be a concern, particularly in restaurants that serve simple or very light food.
WINE OF THE WEEK Terredora Dipaolo 2006 Falanghina, Irpinia, Italy This well-made white varietal wine is bone dry, but it gives an impression of richness bordering on sweetness because of its rich texture from lees aging. Crisp acidity balances that impression, and concentrated floral and pineapple flavors are medium intense. Wholesale case price, $120