Dry, off-dry, medium-sweet, sweet: how wines are classified by sugar content
The sweetness of a wine is determined by the amount of residual sugar (g/l). Under EU labelling rules, this decides whether the bottle says dry, off-dry, medium-sweet or sweet.
The first scale shows the sweetness levels of still wines and the second those of sparkling wines; the exact limits are given in the tables.
Still wines
Category | Residual sugar (g/l) | How it tastes |
|---|---|---|
Dry | up to 4 (up to 9 if the acidity is no more than 2 g/l below the sugar) | Does not taste sweet |
Off-dry | up to 12 (up to 18 if the acidity is no more than 10 g/l below the sugar) | Slightly, fruitily sweet |
Medium-sweet | up to 45 | Distinctly sweet |
Sweet | over 45 | Dessert wine |
Sparkling wines
For sparkling wines, sweetness is determined by the dosage. A deviation of ±3 g/l is permitted on the label.
Name | Residual sugar (g/l) | How it tastes |
|---|---|---|
Brut nature | 0–3 | Completely dry, receives no sugar afterwards |
Extra brut | 0–6 | Very dry |
Brut | 0–12 | Dry, the most common |
Extra dry | 12–17 | Barely perceptibly sweet |
Dry / Sec | 17–32 | Noticeably sweet |
Demi-sec (off-dry) | 32–50 | Sweet |
Doux (sweet) | over 50 | Dessert sparkling wine |
Tokaji aszú and eszencia sit at the upper end of the “sweet” category: aszú must now contain at least 120 g/l of sugar and eszencia at least 450 g/l.
Note: for sparkling wines, the terms “dry” (17–32 g/l) and “off-dry” (32–50 g/l) mean a much sweeter wine than the same words do for still wines.
