Wines | The (false) question of sugar

For years, many wine columnists have decried the amount of sugar that is found in many so-called dry wines. We went to great lengths to explain to consumers that, no, their wine was not dry, that it actually contained significant amounts of sugar.

Veronique rivest
Sommelier, guest collaborator

When the Société des alcools du Québec began to display the residual sugar levels for wines, on its site and in stores, everyone was delighted. Now consumers would have this important information at their fingertips. But somewhere along the way, this information had a perverse effect …

Today, many consumers make the level of sugar their main purchase criterion. “I want a wine with less than 2 g of sugar” has become a common refrain in SAQ branches. And boring… Sugar has nothing to do with the quality of a wine! Some of my greatest emotions in tasting, I had them thanks to semi-dry German Rieslings.

The problem is often the same. Consumers associate sweet wines with low-end wines. And there is nothing more wrong!

This is because the wines that leave us with this impression are often industrial wines, of inferior quality, whose weaknesses or flaws we try to mask with sugar. Many of you still believe that all German Rieslings look like Blue Nun or Black Tower …

Some of the greatest wines in the world contain residual sugar, and I’m not talking about dessert wines here. I repeat: the sugar level has nothing to do with the quality of a wine! No more than its color or its alcohol level, as I explained in a previous column.

Read the column “What makes the quality of a wine?” ”

Seek balance

The most important is balance. And a wine can be balanced, whether it has an alcohol content of 11% or 16%, whether it is dry, off-dry or sweet. The fruit, the substance, the sugar, the alcohol, the acidity, the bitters, the tannins; all this and more contributes to the balance, and varies a lot from one wine to another. Designating the residual sugar in a wine as a quality factor just doesn’t make sense.

The residual sugar in a wine, that which has not been transformed into alcohol during alcoholic fermentation, may be necessary to coat a high acidity, for example, or even a certain bitterness. The example of sparkling wines is obvious. Even when they are dry to taste, they usually have higher residual sugar levels. This is because their acidity is very high and, without residual sugar, it would be too pronounced and unpleasant, which would make the wine unbalanced, with an impression of hardness and thinness.

As a general rule, a wine is considered dry if it contains 4 g or less of sugar per liter. But a wine containing 6 g of sugar will not necessarily have a sweet taste. If its acidity is high enough, enough to counterbalance the sugar, the wine will stay dry to taste.

If these are the calories you are watching, know that alcohol has a lot more calories than sugar. A 150 ml (5 oz) glass of 12% alcohol wine, without any residual sugar, contains 100 calories. If the wine contains, for example, 2 grams per liter (g / L) of sugar, that will only add one calorie to the balance. If it contains 6 g / L, it will only be three more calories. And don’t forget that a glass of orange juice has 20 to 25 g of sugar on average!

And then, the moment when the wine is consumed will also influence our appreciation. A semi-dry Riesling, Chenin or Pinot Gris certainly has its place at the table and allows for many delicious pairings – which sometimes reduce the perception of sugar in the wine. These same agreements would reduce a wine that is too dry to piquette. Just think of sweet and savory dishes or spicy dishes, for example, which also diminish our perception of fruit and sugar in a wine.

Moral of the story: stop choosing wines based solely on their residual sugar, except of course for health problems. You will miss many delicious wines! Look for balanced and digestible wines above all. Trust reputable winemakers: if they left unfermented sugar in their wine, it’s because it was necessary for its balance and it will only be more delicious.

Wines with residual sugar, balanced… and delicious!

Wine mat

The Furmint grape is notorious for its high acidity. This is one of the reasons why it is so popular for making sweet wines: dessert wines, very loaded with residual sugar, require a lot of acidity, otherwise they will appear heavy and soft, even syrupy. Vinified dry, as here, furmint also requires a little sugar to coat its acidity, which would otherwise be biting. But despite its 5.1 g / L of sugar, it is completely dry to taste. Not very complex, but clean and straight, with delicate notes of green apple and peach, some fat and lots of freshness. Excellent value for money, it is ideal for an aperitif, but is also very versatile and will accompany raw oysters, a fish tartare, seafood pasta with lemon zest and fresh herbs.

Pajzos Furmint “T” Tokaji 2019, $ 14.95 (860668), 12%.

Keeping: 3 to 4 years.

Consult the SAQ file

Classic and balanced Riesling

Here, the residual sugar is more important (28 g / L): it is a semi-dry wine. The sugar is felt at the beginning of the mouth, then an invigorating acidity counterbalances it. The balance between the two is marvelous: few wines elsewhere do so with such ease. The intense nose offers aromas of lime, apple blossom, lemon zest, green apple and lime blossom. The palate shows tension, with ripe and juicy fruit, a great impression of purity and a long finish that makes you salivate. It will make a splash with fragrant and spicy dishes, like in Thai cuisine. But it will also go wonderfully with savory cuisine, with sweet accents, such as seared scallops on parsnip purée (or cauliflower and apple) with rosemary, roast pork stuffed with apricots, or even rillettes!

St. Urbans-Hof Riesling Mosel 2020, $ 22.40 (10687601), 10.5%.

Keeping: 6 to 8 years.

Consult the SAQ file

All in fruit

A blend of two red grape varieties native to Austria, blaufränkisch and zweigelt, this wine is full of fruit and freshness. On the nose, aromas of sour red berries, cherry, cranberry, currant, mingle with delicate peppery and floral notes. In the mouth, the texture is crunchy and the acidity, well felt, despite a residual sugar level of 5.8 g / L. Here again, without this sugar, the wine would appear lean and lively, due to the very pronounced acidity. Light, elegant and very fresh, it is unmistakably dry to the taste. It will be served chilled, a bit like a Beaujolais. Like the latter, it will accompany cold cuts, a steak tartare, simple everyday dishes: pizzas, pasta with sausage or green vegetables, roast chicken.

Pittnauer Pitti Burgenland 2019, $ 18.35 (14444201), 12.5%, organic.

Keeping: 1 to 2 years.

Consult the SAQ file