More often than not, the amount of sugar in wine is imperceptible. We’re talking three or four grams in an entire bottle. Thus, the vast majority of wines are “dry.” The reason for this comes down to the simple fact of how wine becomes wine in the first place: yeast eats the sugar in grape juice, and turns it into alcohol. Most of the time, the yeast metabolizes everything in front of it, leaving little or no sugar behind to end up in your bottle.
So when you ask for a “dry” wine at a store or restaurant, it’s kind of like walking into McDonald’s and saying, “Well I know I don’t want sushi.” Instead, think about what you’re actually getting at when you’re in the mood for a “dry” wine. Maybe you want something refreshing, in which case you should feel emboldened to ask for something “acidic.” Or perhaps you want something that’s not too fruity– lots of fruitiness can give the impression of sweetness –so you should consider something “light” and “earthy,” and make a beeline for red Burgundy. Or in the event that you just really don’t want to wake up with a hangover, you could call it a night after “one last round.”
