Dear Meg: It can seem that way—especially when the red wine is from a warm area and has a core of ripe berry flavor (which can seem sweet). In addition, red wine tends to be lower in acidity than white wine, again leading to an impression of sweetness. But the perception of sweetness is just that—perception. Fine red table wines are actually not sweeter than white wines. In fact, neither red nor white table wine is sweet (i.e. they do not contain a perceptible amount of sugar). For the most part, the only wines that are actually sweet are sweet dessert wines (like Sauternes for example), and some inexpensive wines intended for wine drinkers who like sweet mellow wines.

—Karen