Wine sweetness chart

Sweetness is residual sugar: the grape sugar left after fermentation, in grams per litre. We rate every profiled grape on five steps. Here is what each step means, with the grapes and types of wine that sit on it.

Bone dry

Residual sugar under 1 g/L

No sugar you can taste. Most reds, Fino sherry, Muscadet, Brut Nature sparkling wine.

Grapes at this step (393)

Types of wine that reach this step

Dry

Residual sugar 1 to 10 g/L

Tastes dry. Almost every everyday white and red. A ripe, fruity wine can hide a few grams here.

Grapes at this step (27)

Types of wine that reach this step

Off-dry

Residual sugar 10 to 30 g/L

A touch of sweetness that softens the acid. Kabinett Riesling, Vouvray demi-sec, Prosecco Extra Dry.

Grapes at this step (17)

Types of wine that reach this step

Medium sweet

Residual sugar 30 to 45 g/L

Clearly sweet but still a table wine. Spätlese and Auslese, Moscato d'Asti, ruby Port.

Grapes at this step (15)

Types of wine that reach this step

Sweet

Residual sugar over 45 g/L

Dessert wine. Sauternes, Tokaji, ice wine, Pedro Ximénez at 400 g/L and more.

Grapes at this step (3)

Types of wine that reach this step

Label words on still wine

The European Union sets these limits. Other countries use the words more loosely.

Dry / sec / trocken / secco: up to 4 g/L, or up to 9 when the acidity is within 2 g of the sugar
Medium dry / demi-sec / halbtrocken / abboccato: up to 12 g/L, or up to 18 with matching acidity
Medium / moelleux / lieblich / amabile: up to 45 g/L
Sweet / doux / süss / dolce: over 45 g/L

Label words on sparkling wine

The dosage scale. Note that Extra Dry is sweeter than Brut; the scale predates the modern taste for dry wine.

Brut Nature / Zero Dosage: 0 to 3 g/L
Extra Brut: 0 to 6 g/L
Brut: 0 to 12 g/L
Extra Dry / Extra Sec: 12 to 17 g/L
Dry / Sec: 17 to 32 g/L
Demi-Sec: 32 to 50 g/L
Doux: over 50 g/L

Why a wine can taste drier than its number

Acidity hides sugar. A Riesling with 20 grams per litre and high acid can taste crisp, while a soft Chardonnay with 6 grams can taste round and almost sweet. Alcohol and oak add a sweet impression with no sugar at all. Our step ratings describe the taste of a typical dry table wine from each grape, not a laboratory figure.