Dry Red Wine Types

There are so many dry red wine types in the world.

Slideshow:Types of Wine Glasses

There are thousands (yes thousands) of wine types in existence today—many of which are so obscure and rare that most people have probably never heard of them. With that many varieties to choose from, you can make many different types of wine: red ones, white ones, sweet ones, dry ones, sparkling…and mixtures anywhere in between.

When talking about dry red wine types (or dry wines in general), it refers to the level of sugar found in the wine itself. To understand dry versus sweet wines, we have to understand the process of fermentation. Fermentation is what gives us the alcohol in the wine—or in any other juice.

Basically, fermentation is the process of yeast eating sugar. When the yeast eats the sugar, the byproduct is Carbon Dioxide, heat and alcohol. So let’s apply this to grapes:

• The grapes are picked, brought into the winery and then crushed. If the grapes are picked with a very low sugar level, that translates into not as much food for the yeast to eat, which means the end result will be relatively low alcohol.
• If the grapes come in with a high level of sweetness, that means there is more food for the yeast and the byproduct will be a higher level of alcohol. You can see this yourself…if you’ve ever had a light Pinot Noir you can tell the alcohol is not as high as a big, juicy Zinfandel.

So what are dry red wine types? Basically, they are red wines that have a dry level of sugar (below 1 gram per liter). So that translates into a residual sugar level of 1.2-1.4% or lower. When the red wine is fermenting, the yeast is eating all of the sugar until there is little or none left. Different types of yeasts can be used for fermentation that are meant to work up until a certain alcohol level. When the red wine is fermented to “dry” you know you have a wine that has a very tiny amount of residual sugar that will be hardly noticeable to most people. Voila! Dry red wine.

When choosing which dry red you want, try thinking about the following:

• The types of foods in which the wine can be paired.
• Your favorite flavor characteristics.
• Your guests' preferences.

To figure out which wines in the store are dry and which ones are not is actually pretty easy. All red table wines you find in the store on the shelf are always dry by definition. The sweeter late harvest, ports or late picked are usually on a different shelf away from the dry reds. To get a little more specific about the level of sugar you have takes a little more research and talking with the wine person at the store…but again, the definition of dry is less than 1.4% or so residual sugar.

The wine department is your oyster—explore it and try new things. For those of us who are huge red wine fans, chances are you’ve tried the standard go-to’s: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot and Pinot Noir. Looking for something a little different? Two things to do: 1)Try new wine types from the U.S. and 2)Try wines from other countries.

Perhaps you’ve not had Sangiovese, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Tempranillo or Carmenere? There are many wineries in California, New York, Oregon and Washington that are doing these non mainstream varietals and doing them quite well. If you have not tried these before, you should give them a chance.

Don’t stop there, if you see another variety or blend made by your favorite winery give it a shot! If you are having trouble deciding which bottle to buy, ask the wine specialist or wine person in your favorite wine shop or grocery store. They can steer you in a good direction and give you guidance based on your likes and are a resource, so use them.

The second option is to try wines from other countries. If you are not familiar at all with foreign wine, try the varieties that you are already familiar with. If you like Cabernet, for example, try one from South America or from Bordeaux, France. That way you know generally what the wine should have for core taste characteristics. If you want to take it a step further, go ahead and try varietals you have never heard of before or types of wines that you’ve not had previously. Many countries have their own varietals or specialties, so it goes back to using your resources (remember the wine person at the store!)

You may discover a wine that is wonderful, but never would have found if you didn’t go outside the wine box. Enjoy your dry red wines with great food and great friends and remember to try different wine types to expand your knowledge base..

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