What Does Dry Wine Mean?
By Bordeaux Brian for Pair It & Share It · Published
BOTTOM LINE
'Dry' simply means not sweet. During winemaking, yeast turns the grape sugar into alcohol; when nearly all of it is gone, the wine is dry. Most reds and most whites are dry. A wine can taste fruity and still be dry.
Quick decision
- Definitely not sweet→ Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Brut sparkling
- A touch of sweetness→ Off-dry Riesling, Moscato d'Asti
- Dessert sweet→ Port, Sauternes, late-harvest wines
Dry vs. fruity
Fruity describes flavor — cherry, peach, citrus. Dry describes sugar. Ripe fruit flavors can trick your brain into thinking a wine is sweet.
Dry vs. 'drying'
People also say a red feels dry when it leaves their mouth puckered. That's tannin, not a lack of sugar.
Sparkling wine label words
Brut Nature and Extra Brut are the driest. Brut is dry. Confusingly, 'Extra Dry' is slightly sweeter than Brut, and 'Demi-Sec' is noticeably sweet.
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About the author. Bordeaux Brian brings more than 30 years of wine experience and firsthand experience in vineyards and wine regions around the world. His focus is practical: helping people make better wine decisions without the intimidation.