dry and sweet
When buying wine, the words “dry red” or “dry white” often appear in the description or back label of the wine. What does “dry” refer to here? This starts with the amount of residual sugar in the wine.
When making wine, winemakers use yeast to convert the sugar in the grapes into alcohol. However, in most cases, the sugar in the grape fruit is not completely converted into alcohol, so there will be some sugar remaining in the wine, this part of the sugar is called residual sugar (Residual Sugar). Wines can be classified as dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, and sweet, depending on the amount of residual sugar in the wine, from low to high.
When we describe a wine as dry, it generally means that the residual sugar content of this wine is very low, between 0-4g/L. With the influence of factors such as acidity, tannin and alcohol content, people can hardly It senses the presence of sugar. Most wines on the market today are of the dry type.
The sugar content of semi-dry wines is generally between 4-12g/L, which can show obvious sweetness in the mouth, but the sugar in these wines is not enough to support them with most desserts. Similar to semi-dry, semi-sweet wines contain enough sugar to be perceived but not paired with most desserts. However, the sugar content in semi-sweet wines is higher than that of semi-dry wines, generally 12-45g/L.
The sugar content in sweet wine is higher than 45g/L, and the sugar contained in the wine and the sweetness displayed in the mouth are its main characteristics. Depending on the brewing method, the wine will show different style characteristics, sweet and fresh like Petit Manseng sweet and white, exuding the fragrant aroma of lemon wood flowers and citrus fruits, the entrance is sweet and mellow; fragrant and thick like Sauternes (Sauternes) and Tokaji Aszu (Tokaji Aszu) noble rot sweet white, mixed with honey, nuts, almonds and other wonderful flavors, fascinating.
new world and old world
When many friends first come into contact with wine, they will be exposed to the concepts of “old world” and “new world”. The “old and new world” of wine is actually a division of wine-producing countries in the world based on factors such as region, winemaking history and winemaking tradition. Wine-producing countries in Europe and the Middle East, such as France, Spain, Italy and Germany, belong to the Old World wine-producing countries. Other emerging wine-producing countries outside these regions, such as the United States, Australia, Chile and South Africa, belong to the New World wine-producing countries.
Generally speaking, the wine-producing countries in the Old World tend to be more traditional in grape planting and wine-making techniques, with strict wine regulations and grading systems, and the wines produced pay more attention to the terroir of the place of origin. The New World wine-producing countries do not have too many restrictions on grape varieties and brewing processes, and winemakers are more free to innovate when making wine, so wine styles are more diverse and relatively easier to drink.
There is no difference between the old and the new worlds, and more of them represent differences in winemaking traditions and wine styles. With the continuous development of the wine market, the old and new world wine-producing countries will learn from each other and continue to work hard to produce good wine.
