which wines are the sweeter wines and which are the dryer wines?

Answer 1

The sweetest wines are dessert-type wines. These include ports, muscats, Icewines, anything labeled "Late Harvest" and certain German wines (BA and TBA in particular).

Next sweetest would be things like White Zinfandel and White Merlot.

From there, things get a bit trickier. Riesling can be very sweet, but not necessarily. Same with Gewurztraminer. Best best on these is to read the back label for a description - sometimes it'll point you the right way. Look for any mention of "residual sugar" - the higher the number (usually listed as grams per liter), the sweeter the wine. Zero to 1 is dry, 2 to 4 grams is slightly sweet, etc, etc.

Chardonnay is typically considered a dry white.

With red wines, most are bone dry or close to it. What you want to look for in reds is the level of tannin. Cabernet Sauvignon is typically very tannic until aged properly, and hence comes across as more dry. Merlot typically has softer tannins than Cab. Syrah (aka Shiraz) also has softer tannins. Likewise with Pinot Noir. These wines tend to show more fruitiness in their youth and are therefore more approachable for the average palate.

The other thing to consider with reds is the price. Less expensive wines are made to be approachable and 'quaffable' in their youth. A young $10-$15 Cab is probably much less tannic (and therefore will seem less dry) than a young $150 Cab.

Pull some corks, experiment and have a great time! Enjoy!

Answer 2

Sweet and dry wines will vary by the grape used. For instance, you can have sweet (Brachetto) and dry (Cabernet, Syrah) red wines.

In white wines, the sweeter ones are Moscatos, certain Rieslings (unless they are noted dry,) Gewurtztraminer and dessert wines. Dry whites include Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Ask for some wine help next time you are at the liquor store, they should be able to fine something to your taste.

Answer 3

I'm not sure but I think the sweeter wine is the white wine and the dryer wine is the grape wine.

Answer 4

Wow. That's a tall order, explaining wine.
Here is a quick and dirty guide to the sweetness of wines (and please note that, for both charts, the listed reds are not necessarily of the same sweetness/weight as the whites listed next to them -- these are relative charts of sweetness/weight, within red or white):

RED WHITE
Sweetest Pinot Noir Riesling
Zinfandel Chardonnay
Cabernet Chenin Blanc
Syrah Sauvignon Blanc
Driest Merlot Brut


And here's a thumbnail sketch of how heavy or light a wine is:

RED WHITE
Lightest Merlot Brut
Zinfandel Fume Blanc
Chianti Pinot Grigio
Pinot Noir Riesling
Heaviest Cabernet Chardonnay


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Answer 5

The short answer is just read the label. American wines always tell if they are dry. With Champagne, brut=dry, semi-brut=sweet. The color, red or white, is not too meaningful. Rose' wine usually is sweeter.

Answer 6

Sounds cool

Answer 7

concord wines are sweet and merlot's are dry, lumbrusco is one of my favorite red wines is not to sweet and not to dry.

Answer 8

Thats open to discussion there are basically several potential answers to this question