What does "dry" actually mean?
2 min read
"Dry" is one of the most confusing words in wine. People use it to mean a lot of different things, but in wine-speak it has one specific meaning: a wine that has very little residual sugar left after fermentation.
Most of the wine you drink is dry. That includes almost all red wines and the majority of white wines you see on a shelf. If a wine isn't labeled as sweet, dessert, or off-dry, it's probably dry.
Dry is not the same as bitter or tannic
A wine can feel "dry" in your mouth because of tannins — that fuzzy, drying sensation you get from red wines. But tannic is not the same as dry. A sweet wine can be tannic. A dry wine can be smooth and fruity.
Why does it matter?
If you know whether a wine is dry, sweet, or somewhere in between, you have a much better idea of what it will taste like and what food it will pair with. Dry wines usually pair well with savory dishes, while sweeter wines shine with spice, heat, or dessert.
Quick cheat sheet
- Dry: little to no sweetness (most red & white wines)
- Off-dry: a touch of sweetness (some Rieslings, Moscato)
- Sweet: dessert wines, late-harvest wines, some ports
- Tannic: that dry-mouth feeling, mostly from red wines