Wines come in quite a few different flavor profiles. One component is sweetness. To a culture used to soda and high-sugar fruit juices, sweet is normal and dry, not sweet, wine is not as pleasant. There are specific categories to sweet wines: off-dry white, fruity red and dessert, each with its own appeal. Also, the choice of wine may say something about people and the way they live their lives.
Selecting a Sweet Wine
Though there is no way to tell specifically from reading the label whether or not a wine is sweet, there are some clues. The word "dry" in the description of a wine generally means that it is not sweet. "Late harvest" wines are usually sweeter because the grapes have been allowed to hang on the vine longer and collect more sugars. "Ice" wines are made from grapes picked when they are frozen and are usually on the sweeter side.
Unfortunately, choosing a wine based on the type of grape used is not a good way to choose between sweet or dry. Most grapes can be used to make either type depending on the vision of the wine maker.
Off-Dry Whites
"Off-dry" means slightly sweet, bridging the gap between sweet wines and dry wines. Despite the name, white zinfandel is not considered a white wine. It will be discussed in blushes. In the off-dry white category, the most recognizable is Asti Supmanti, an Italian sparkling wine. Any wine with bubbles like Champagne is called a sparkling wine. Champagne is the proper name for a wine grown in the Champagne region of France. The similarity in look makes it an alternative to Champagne for those with a sweet tooth. It is unlikely too many at the New Year's party will notice the difference.
Fruity Reds
According to Wines.com, "'sweet' red wines are harder to find since sweetness in red wine is often considered a flaw." That does not mean sweet red wines do not exist. Instead, they are classified as "fruity." The base for port is red wine. Wines.com recommends E&J Gallo's Café Zinfandel to those looking to try out a fruity red, another zinfandel cousin.
Mild Blushes
Blush wine is actually a subtype of red wine. During the wine making process, the grape skins, which are part of what gives wine its color and flavor, are removed in the process. This causes blush wines to have much milder flavor and color. White zinfandel, a well-known wine in the United States, is a blush wine and a close cousin to the more robust red zinfandel.
Dessert Wines
Just as the name implies, dessert wines are those that are really sweet, almost liquid candy. Looking at it on a spectrum, off-dry white would be at one extreme and dessert wines would be at the other. "Late harvest" wines often fall into this category. The most well-known dessert wine is port, but port is a little different from your average table wine.
Port is a fortified red wine. Fortified wine has had alcohol added to it, and thus has a higher alcohol content than regular wine. Ports are thick and sweet, pairing well with chocolate or cheese, though they also stand alone quite well.
Wine and Personality
According to a study highlighted in Health Magazine in August 2009, a person's choice of wine can illuminate his personality. Those who prefer sweet wines, according to the study, are more impulsive and less open. While they are more likely to make split second decisions, they are less likely to try out new things. By contrast, those who prefer drier wines are more likely to be less impulsive but more open to new things.
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