What Red Wines Are the Driest?
Labeling a wine as the “driest” is a difficult task if you do not taste it. A wine must contain less than 0.5 percent sugar to be considered dry. Virtually all red table wines are dry; rating them for “dryness” is often confused with flavors correlating to tannin and acidity levels that make a wine with the same sugar content as a so-called dry wine seem sweeter. Cabernet Sauvignon Many people believe that the “driest” red wine is Cabernet Sauvignon, as it is very bold in taste with virtually no sweetness. The low acidity and high tannin levels cause the wine to taste more robust and naturally less sweet. However, this does not mean that it is any “drier,” or contains less sugar, than a wine that contains the same percentage of residual sugar. It is a difficult task to distinguish between the taste of sugar and the taste of fruity acid. Shiraz and Syrah Shiraz and Syrah tend to contain the same levels of residual sugar as a Cabernet Sauvignon, which is close to zero. They are technical
