How Sweet Are You? Assessing Sweetness in Wine by Desiree Harrison-Brown, WSET Level 3 Certified, 2022 Wine Enthusiast Future 40, Instructor

Sugar in wine is an important characteristic that influences the way the wine tastes and the mouthfeel or body of the wine. Understanding how to assess the sweetness level in wine will enhance your blind tasting skills and your overall appreciation for different styles of wine. 

Where Does the Sugar in Wine Come From?

First things first, let’s discuss where the sugar in wine comes from.

The sugar in wine comes from the natural sugars in grapes. All wine grapes start off small, green, and high in acids. As the grapes progress through the vine growth cycle, they ripen and accumulate sugar until harvest. The climate impacts the rate at which grapes accumulate sugar and the amount of sugar they retain. In warmer climates, grapes generally have higher levels of sugar compared to those in cooler climates.

During fermentation, yeast converts these sugars into alcohol. If all of the sugar is converted to alcohol, the finished wine is known as “dry,” but if the winemaker wants to make a sweeter style wine, fermentation will be stopped before all the sugar is fermented. The remaining sugar, known as residual sugar (RS), determines the sweetness of the wine. A wine with higher RS will taste sweeter than a wine with minimal RS. 

Assessing for Sweetness in Wine

Now that we understand where the sugar comes from, let’s discuss how to assess sweetness during tasting.

As part of the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting (SAT), sweetness is the first structural characteristic to evaluate. To determine the sweetness level, take a good-sized sip of wine, enough to swish around on the palate before spitting.

The sweetness scale provides a framework for assessing sweetness levels in wine:

• Dry: Wines with no perceptible sugar or sweetness are considered dry, the most common category. Examples include Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.
• Off-dry: This category includes wines with a slight hint of sweetness, such as Riesling Kabinett.
• Medium-dry and Medium-sweet: Wines with noticeable sugar content fall into the medium sweetness categories. To differentiate between medium-dry and medium-sweet, focus on the wine's finish: if it finishes dry, it's medium-dry; if it finishes sweet with a tactile sensation of sweetness, it's medium-sweet. Examples are Chenin Blanc for medium-dry and Moscato d'Asti for medium-sweet.
• Sweet: Wines with high levels of sugar, which are often called dessert wines or can be enjoyed as desserts themselves, are considered sweet. Sauternes is a classic example.
• Luscious: This category is the rarest and is reserved for extremely sweet wines that have an increased viscosity. They will be full bodied and leave a sticky feeling on the palate. Pedro Ximenez (PX) Sherry and Rutherglen Muscat can fall into this category.

Not Confusing Sweetness and Fruitiness

A common mistake when assessing sweetness in wine is confusing sweetness with fruitiness. Remember that the sweetness comes from the presence of sugar, while fruitiness is due to aromatic compounds and flavors characteristics of the grape variety. A wine can have flavors of very ripe fruits while still being dry. To differentiate between the two, try to focus on the taste of sugar and the tactile sensation of sugar rather than the aromatic perception of fruitiness.

Sugar and Acid Balance

Balancing sugar and acidity is an important goal of a winemaker. Having a balance between these two characteristics helps prevent the wine from tasting overly sweet or painfully acidic. When assessing the sweetness in wine, it is important to consider the acid level and how it might mask the perception of sweetness. Dessert wines like Sauternes often have high levels of mouthwatering acid to balance their sweetness, preventing them from becoming cloying. Be sure to focus on the actual level of sweetness, taking into account how acidity may influence your perception.

Tips to Practice Assessing the Sweetness of Wine

The best way to improve your ability to assess sweetness in wine is through practice – taste, taste, taste! Building a repertoire of wines in your mental rolodex will help create reference points. 

Here are some tips to enhance your practice:

Comparative Tastings: Organize tastings to compare the sweetness levels of different wines side-by-side. Try comparing a dry Riesling with an off-dry Riesling or compare a medium-dry Chenin Blanc with a medium-sweet Chenin Blanc. This is a fun exercise to practice with friends!

Tech Sheets: Technical sheets will often provide data on a wine including the RS level in grams per liter (g/L). Knowing the actual RS level of a wine can help you make connections and notice patterns when tasting. Try Googling the name of the wine with "tech sheet". You might have to do some sleuthing to find it!

Conclusion

Understanding and assessing the sweetness is crucial to wine tasting success. By consistently practicing these techniques, you will refine your palate and improve your ability to accurately assess the sweetness in wines.