Sweetness of wine
The sweetness of a wine is defined by the level of residual sugar (or RS) in the fermentation process. Residual sugar is the measure
Residual sugar
Residual sugar is usually measured in grams of sugar per litre of wine. Even among the driest wines, it is rare to find wines with a level of less than 1 g/L, due to the unfermentability of certain types of sugars, such as pentose. By contrast, any wine with over 45 g/L would be considered sweet, though many of the great sweet wines have levels much higher than this. For example, the great vintages of Château d'Yquem contain between 100 and 150 g/L of residual sugar. The sweetest form of the Tokaji, the Eszencia - contains over 450 g/L, with exceptional vintages registering 900 g/L. Such wines are balanced by carefully developed use of acidity. This means that the finest sweet wines are made with grape varieties that keep their acidity even at very high ripeness levels, such as Riesling and Chenin Blanc. Residual sugar typically refers to the sugar remaining after fermentation stops, or is stopping, but it can also result from the addition of unfermented must (a technique practiced in Germany and known as süssreserve) or ordinary table sugar.
How sweet a wine will taste is also controlled by factors such as the acidity and alcohol levels, the amount of tannin present, and whether the wine is sparkling or not. A sweet wine such as a Vouvray can actually taste dry due to the high level of acidity. A dry wine can taste sweet if the alcohol level is elevated. Medium and sweet wines have a perception among many consumers of being of lower quality than dry wines. However, many of the world's great wines, such as those from Sauternes (including Barsac) or Tokaj, have a high level of residual sugar which is carefully balanced with additional acidity to produce a harmonious result.
History
Vintage: the story of Wine by Hugh Johnson presents several methods that have been used throughout the history to sweeten wine. The most common way was to harvest the grapes as late as possible. This method was advocated by Virgil and Martial in Roman times. In contrast the ancient Greeks would harvest the grapes early, to preserve some of their acidity, and then leave them in the sun for a few days to allow them to shrivel and concentrate the sugar. In Crete a similar effect was achieved by twisting the stalks of the grape to deprive them of sap and letting them dry on the vine - a method that produced passum and the modern Italian equivalent, passito.
Stopping the fermentation also enhanced a wine's potential sweetness - the German method like the Süssreserve. In ancient times this was achieved by submerging the amphoras in cold water till winter.[1] A similar result is achieved today with the use of modern technology in cold stabilization.
Wine can also be sweetened by the addition of sugar in some form, after fermentation is completed. In Roman times this was done in preparing mulsum, wine freshly sweetened with honey and flavoured with spices, used as an apéritif, and also in the manufacture of conditum, which had similar ingredients but was matured and stored before drinking.
Terms used to indicate sweetness of wine
the following terms may be used on the labels of table wines, and quality wines.
Dry (a) sec, trocken, secco, asciutto, dry, tør, ξηρός, seco, kuiva, droog, száraz or torrt, on condition that the wine concerned has a residual sugar content not exceeding: (i) 4 grams per litre; or (ii) 9 grams per litre, provided that the total acidity expressed as grams of tartaric acid per litre is not more than 2 grams below the residual sugar content.
Medium dry (b) demi-sec, halbtrocken, abboccato, medium dry, halvtør, ημίξηρος, semiseco, meio seco, adamado, puolikuiva, halfdroog, félszáraz or halvtorrt, on condition that the wine concerned has a residual sugar content in excess of the maximum set at (a) but not exceeding: (i) 12 grams per litre; or (ii) 18 grams per litre, where the minimum total acidity has been set by the Member State under paragraph 2.
Medium sweet (c) moelleux, lieblich, amabile, medium, medium sweet, halvsød, ημίγλυκος, demidulce, meio doce, puolimakea, halfzoet, félédes or halvsftt, on condition that the wine concerned has a residual sugar content higher than the maximum set at (b) but not more than 45 grams per litre;
Sweet (d) doux, süss, dolce, sweet, sød, γλυκός, dulce, doce, makea, zoet, édes or sftt, on condition that the wine concerned has a residual sugar content of at least 45 grams per litre.
Sparkling wines have different ratings: [4]
Brut Nature - (no added sugar) up to 3 g per litre
Extra Brut - up to 6 g per litre
Brut - up to 15 g per litre
Extra Dry, Extra Sec, Extra seco - between 12 and 20 g per litre
Dry, Sec, Seco - between 17 and 35 g per litre
Demi-Sec, Semi-seco - between 33 and 50 g per litre
Doux, Sweet, Dulce - more than 50 g per litre
©2009 Tastes of the Valleys, a Solvang Wine Bar.