Why Do Some Wines Taste Sweeter Than Others?

The tricky thing about understanding sweet wine is that some wines may seem sweet, when really, they are dry. This is because while RS is the thing that defines a wine’s sweetness, other characteristics of a wine can influence our perception of it, including acidity, tannins, alcohol level, and flavor or fruitiness.

Acidity is the element that makes wine taste fresh and vibrant. Essential for the overall balance of a wine , it’s a natural foil of sweetness, masking or enhancing its presence. A wine with low acidity but high RS may taste way too sweet, while a wine with high acidity and low RS may seem sharp. A wine with high levels of both will deliver a concentrated yet balanced, super sweet experience.

Tannins can also function as a counterpoint to sweetness. Tannins can make wine seem bitter, the opposite of sweet. They are also felt more than they’re tasted, creating a dry, astringent sensation in the mouth. This means that abundant tannins can hide RS and a high level of RS can soften the feeling of a wine’s tannins.

On the other end of the spectrum, a high alcohol content (or, percent alcohol by volume, ABV) may magnify the perception of sweetness, as alcohol is naturally sweet on the palate. A high ABV can also make a wine seem more viscous or weighty on the palate, another quality our brains affiliate with sweetness.

Fruity flavors can fool us, too. Because we naturally associate fruit qualities with sugar, a wine with robust, ripe or tropical fruit tones can seem sweet, even if there isn’t any RS present. Flavors derived from time in oak like caramel, vanilla, pastry or brioche, can have a similar effect.

Nine Types of Sweet Wine to Know

Sweet wines are produced all over the world, and there are tons of different types of sweet wine, each with its own unique characteristics and varying amounts of RS. Here are some of the most popular—and delicious—sweet wines you may come across.

Moscato

Made from grapes that belong to the Muscat family (though primarily from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, also known as Moscato Bianco in Italy), Moscato is best known for the sweet and fragrant, lightly sparkling wines of Asti and Moscato d’Asti in Piedmont, Italy. To make Moscato, the winemaker will chill the wine rapidly to stop fermentation before all the natural sugars have been converted to alcohol. They’ll then filter out any remaining yeast to ensure the final wine maintains sweetness. Because fermentation was halted, Moscato is typically low in alcohol.