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. The medieval French word for a small village, similar to the Old English “burg” 

B. A nomadic German tribe which once settled in the area

C. The Latin word Burgarius which was the name for a Roman province that once extended over most of central France

D. The name for early French rural governing bodies which were made up of noble councilmen who were known as Burrs

Sur lie

Sur lie is French for “on the lees,” and lees for their part The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

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