Sweetness
How much sugar is left, from bone dry to sweet.
Unofficial study resource · not affiliated with or endorsed by WSET®Definition
Sweetness is how much natural grape sugar remains in the finished wine, from bone dry to lusciously sweet. The usual WSET terms are dry, off-dry, medium, and sweet. It depends on how much of the grape sugar was turned into alcohol during fermentation.
Why it matters for WSET
Sweetness is the first thing you assess on the palate in the WSET method, and it drives many food-pairing rules.
Example
Most still red wines are dry; Sauternes is a famously sweet wine.
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