List of Wines From Dry to Sweet
While some grape varieties tend to be more dry than sweet, many other factors influence how sweet a wine is, including whether or not it is aged in oak caskets; how ripe the grape was when it was picked; and the climate and location of the vines. In general, you might find more sweet wines are white, but you will also see red varieties that are sweet. Does this Spark an idea?
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Cabernet Sauvignon
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Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the best known wines in the world. Cab, as it's often called, is grown in many parts of the United States as well as countries all over the world. It is an intense wine that is full of flavor from fruits, spices and firm tannins. Since cabernet sauvignon often spends years in new oak barrels, it can be especially toasty and dry.
Pinot Noir
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Even though Pinot Noir is known as the grape of Burgundy, France, it is also one of the most popular varieties in Napa Valley, California. This deep red wine smells like cherry, but picks up most of its taste from dark fruit. It tastes a bit earthy and will also gain the spice notes from aging in oak barrels, but you may find it just slightly less dry than cabernet sauvignon.
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Shiraz/Syrah
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Most of the world calls it syrah for the grape of that name, but it has gained its reputation in Australia, where they call it shiraz. It's a very rich wine that's full of pepper and dark, red fruit, but smoother tannins make syrah just slightly less dry than a pinot or cab. This grape grows fairly easily and this wine is being produced in many parts of the world.
Chardonnay
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Chardonnay has been called the most popular white wine in the world. It is used to make champagne and Chablis. After it is set in oak caskets for years, It is buttery and full of vanilla and tropical fruit, Some winemakers have been experimenting with un-oaked chardonnay. If you have a chardonnay that isn't oaked, you will notice it is a very different, sweeter white wine, more like the Chablis.
Merlot
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Merlot was always a popular blend in Bordeaux, but it gained popularity in the U.S. at the end of the 20th century and is now grown quite a bit in California. It is lighter than most reds and often mixed with cabernet to balance out the fruit with more spice. On its own, it tends to taste more like cherry and chocolate, with a bit more sweetness than most red wines.
Sauvignon Blanc
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If you are looking for a light white wine that isn't dry or very sweet, sauvignon blanc is probably your answer. This grape is occasionally blended with other grapes such as chardonnay for a bit of dryness, but it is generally full of fruit on the nose and the palate. It's become a success story for New Zealand, but you can find sauvignon blancs growing around the globe since it's an easy drinking wine.
Dessert Wines
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The sweetest of the wines come under the dessert wine label, which includes ports, late harvest Rieslings and Ice Wine. The main difference between the latter two super-sweet wines is timing. By definition, an Ice Wine must be picked on the day of the first frost so while "late harvest" and "ice wine" can come from the same grapes, they are defined by the time of harvest.
Considerations
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You will also find some wines -- such as Riesling -- that are not consistently dry or sweet. A Riesling can vary dramatically. Though there isn't quite as much variance, another popular varietal, Pinot Grigio (also known as Pinot Gris) can vary in its sweetness quite a bit, a fact that is not always noted on the bottle. When it comes to sparkling wine and champagne, it's simpler -- the word "Brut" indicates it is a dry wine.
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References
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