Wine Unfiltered

What is residual sugar?

Basically, it’s the amount of unfermented sugar that remains in the wine after the fermentation process. Sometimes remaining sugar is encouraged by adding it back, adding alcohol to the wine higher than the yeast can work with, or by sulfur dioxide which inhibits the yeast. Sometimes there is naturally too much sugar and complete fermentation cannot occur. But in general, stopping the fermentation process before all the sugar is converted is the most common description of residual sugar.

Dry wines have very little residual sugar at around 0.05-0.5 %.

Sweeter wines such as a Gewurztraminer or Reisling are around 1-3 %

Sauternes, Ice wines, late harvest wines can max out at 25-30%.

Sometimes even large red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot has residual sugar that goes unnoticed when balanced with the correct amount of fruit acid and tannin.