All About Dry Red Wine

What's up, wine lovers? It's Madeline from Wine Folly, and today we're talking the dry and the dryer. That's right, I'm talking about dry red wines. Before you start thinking about your ex, when we say dry in the wine world, we mean not sweet. That's less than 1% sweetness in a bottle, which is less than two grams of carbs per serving. But wait, you might be wondering, where does sweetness in wine come from? It's from those unfermented grape sugars, baby. And just like in life, sweetness in wine ranges a great deal from those less than 1% sweetness Syrah to those 10 to 15% sweetness port wines. If you're on a keto diet, you might be wondering, are there any wines with no sweetness whatsoever? Yes, they're called bone dry wines, and they have 0% sweetness. They're like the kale of the wine world. P.S., most fine red wines are bone dry. If you're curious to know more about keto-friendly wines, check out this detailed article we have on how to read a wine tech sheet to find what you're looking for. Okay, so before I get into some examples of dry red wines, I want to talk about something you might have experienced when tasting red wine. Do you know that stringent, drying, bitter texture on your palate that you get from tasting red wine? It's actually not related to sugar and sweetness in wine. It's all about wine tannins. Wine tannins may taste astringent and bitter, but just like kale, they're one of the only traits in wine that's good for you. So drink up. I want to give you some examples of dry red wines in terms of tannin levels. On the lower end of the spectrum, we have grapes like Pinot Noir, which grows everywhere, and Barbera, which comes primarily from Italy. These wines focus on fruit and spice without all that astringent texture on the palate. Then on the more higher tannin end of the spectrum, we have grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, which grows everywhere, and Petit Syrah, which grows primarily in California. These are rich, full body, highly textured dry red wines. There are many other great choices in between on the dry wine spectrum. Now, if you're wondering about different red wines from different regions, let me give you a rundown. Classic dry red French wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. In Italy, we find Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Barbera, and Nebbiolo. And in Spain, you have Tempranillo, Garnacha, Bobal, and Monastral. If you're curious to know about other regional wines, head over to winefolly.com and join us at the free weekly wine learning newsletter. You'll get a special offer when you sign up. So now that you have some basics on dry red wine, the next time you're in a wine shop, you'll know exactly what to ask for. I hope this helps you drink better wine, and until next time, happy tasting. Peace out.