August 15, 2026
winespeed-by-karen-macneil

Hi Caroline. In a word: no. Sugar in grapes is converted into alcohol by yeast, generally leaving less than a trace in the wine itself. The idea that wine contains a lot of sugar is a falsehood that’s nonetheless gotten some traction of late. I’m not sure why. The one exception to my “no” is dessert wine which is intended to be sweet. There are four main different ways that sweet wine can be made—the simplest of which is to stop the fermentation before all of the sugar in the grapes is converted to alcohol. If you happen to have a copy of The Wine Bible, I described the ways sweet wine can be made in detail there.

—Karen

A. Red wines made in Tuscany from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes

B. Red or white wines made in Tuscany from any variety except Sangiovese

C. Red blends made in Tuscany from Sangiovese plus any other red variety

D. Red wines made in Tuscany in an “international style”

STICKIES

The affectionate name Australians give to their sweet wines. Ther term is broadly used to cover late-harvest wines as well as Australia’s phenomenal sweet FORTIFIED Muscats, topaques, and fortified tawnies.

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