- Last updated on January 24, 2023
Wondering about the wine sweetness chart? Keep reading and you’ll find your answers!
The sweetness level of a wine is expressed in grams of sugar per liter, aka g/L, or as a percentage.
10 g/L equals 1% which, if you are interested, represents 6 calories per 5 oz serving. Sometimes this info is available on the wine label.
I’ve prepared the below tables for red and white wines to easily show you what you should expect from the wine you are about to drink.
Use the table of content below to jump straight to the section. In this article you’ll learn more about:
The highlighted wine name will bring you directly to the wine description, food pairing, and much more! Let’s begin!
Wine Sweetness Chart - Which Red and Rosé Wine is Sweeter?
Let’s take a look at the wine sweetness scale for red and rosé wines.
Here is a general red wine sweetness overview to make your life a bit easier.
Be aware that the below classification is not written in stone as it depends on the winemaker style.
Click on the highlighted wines to access the deep dive.
Dry
(<15 g/l / <1.5%)
Off-Dry
(15-30 g/l / 1.5%-3%)
Medium
(30-50 g/l / 3%-5%)
Sweet
(50-100 g/l / 5%-10%)
Very Sweet
(>100g/l / >10%)
- Barbaresco
- Barbera
- Barolo
- Bordeaux
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Malbec
- Merlot
- Nebbiolo
- Pinot Grigio Rosé
- Pinot Noir
- Sangiovese
- Shiraz/Syrah
- Tempranillo
- Zinfandel / Primitivo
- Lambrusco (Secco)
- Lambrusco (Amabile)
- White Zinfandel (Rosé)
- Brachetto d’Acqui
- Malvasia
- Late Harvest
- Port
- Tawny Port
- Vin Santo Rosso
Dry
(<15 g/l / <1.5%)
- Barbaresco
- Barbera
- Barolo
- Bordeaux
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Malbec
- Merlot
- Nebbiolo
- Pinot Grigio Rosé
- Pinot Noir
- Sangiovese
- Shiraz/Syrah
- Tempranillo
- Zinfandel / Primitivo
Off-Dry
(15-30 g/l / 1.5%-3%)
- Lambrusco (Secco)
Medium
(30-50 g/l / 3%-5%)
- Lambrusco (Amabile)
- White Zinfandel (Rosé)
Sweet
(50-100 g/l / 5%-10%)
- Brachetto d’Acqui
- Malvasia
- Late Harvest
- Port
Very Sweet
(>100g/l / >10%)
- Tawny Port
- Vin Santo Rosso
Wine Sweetness Chart - Which White Wine is Sweeter?
Let’s take a look at the wine sweetness scale for white wines.
As previously mentioned, this is a general red wine sweetness overview to make your life a bit easier.
Be aware that the below classification is not written in stone as it depends on the winemaker style.
Click on the highlighted wines to access the deep dive.
Dry
(<15 g/l / <1.5%)
Off-Dry
(15-30 g/l / 1.5%-3%)
Medium
(30-50 g/l / 3%-5%)
Sweet
(50-100 g/l / 5%-10%)
Very Sweet
(>100g/l / >10%)
- Chablis
- Chardonnay
- Muscadet
- Pinot Grigio
- Riesling
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Sémillon
- Chenin Blanc
- Müller Thurgau
- Pinot Gris (Alsace)
- Riesling
- Viognier
- Gewürztraminer
- Late Harvest
- Moscato d’Asti
- Riesling
- Vin Santo
- Ice Wine
- Passito
- Sauterne
- Tokaj
Dry
(<15 g/l / <1.5%)
- Chablis
- Chardonnay
- Muscadet
- Pinot Grigio
- Riesling
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Sémillon
Off-Dry
(15-30 g/l / 1.5%-3%)
- Chenin Blanc
- Müller Thurgau
- Pinot Gris (Alsace)
- Riesling
- Viognier
Medium
(30-50 g/l / 3%-5%)
- Gewürztraminer
Sweet
(50-100 g/l / 5%-10%)
- Late Harvest
- Moscato d’Asti
- Riesling
- Vin Santo
Very Sweet
(>100g/l / >10%)
- Ice Wine
- Passito
- Sauterne
- Tokaj
Wine Sweetness Chart - Is Champagne Sweeter than Prosecco?
Let’s take a look at the wine sweetness chart or scale for sparkling wines.
For sparkling wines the sweetness level depends on the amount of sugar added during the dosage.
The sweetness level classification is different from the other wines we’ve seen so far.
For Champagne the most popular type is Brut with less than 12 grams of sugar per liter, aka g/l. You can though find Champagne across the all spectrum.
Find more about Champagne here.
For Prosecco the most popular type is Extra-Dry which has 12-17 g/l. You can though find as well Prosecco Brut and Dry.
Find more about Prosecco here.
So back to our question, Champagne is usually dryer than Prosecco, as Brut has less residual sugar than Extra Dry.
For Asti Spumante the most popular type is Sweet which has 50+ g/l. You can though find as well a Secco (Dry) and Extra Dry version.
Find more about Asti Spumante here.
A clarification is need here. A Dry sparkling wine is actually noticeably sweet. It contains in fact between 17 to 32 g/l.
If you are after a non sweet Sparkling wine ask for Brut or a Brut Nature.
Here are the sweetness levels:
- Brut Nature less than 3 g/l.
- Extra Brut less than 6 g/l.
- Brut less than 12 g/l.
- Extra Dry between 12 to 17 g/l.
- Sec/Dry between 17 to 32 g/l. Despite the name, it’s noticeably sweet.
- Demi-Sec/Medium Dry between 32 to 50 g/l.
- Doux/Sweet 50+ g/l. This is the sweetest level.
Wine Sweetness Chart - Residual Sugar vs Alcohol By Volume
Have you ever heard of the Residual Sugar in wine? In simple terms, it’s the sugar left in the wine after the alcoholic fermentation has taken place.
The higher the Residual Sugar or RS the sweeter will be the wine.
There is a direct relationship between the Residual Sugar, i.e. RS, and the percentage of Alcohol By Volume, i.e. ABV.
During the alcoholic fermentation, the yeast transforms the sugar in the grape juice into alcohol.
Grapes with high residual sugar will therefore produce dry wine with a high ABV.
Wine Sweetness Chart - Does Acidity Alter Our Perception of Sweetness?
Yes, it does! Wine with higher levels of acidity, like white wines, will generally taste drier than wine with lower acidity levels. [1]
That’s why some winemakers add some residual sugar to their wine to counterbalance their high acidity.
For Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand, this is common practice.
What to do next?
Now that you understand wine sweetness it’s time for some wine tasting practice. Our wine testing guide will guide you step by step!
Unsure about which wine to start with? No worries, check out our best wines buying guides for inspiration!
