Sweetness is the sugar left in a wine, but what the drinker perceives also depends on acidity, alcohol, tannin, temperature and aroma. A wine can smell of ripe fruit and still be dry.
Dry is about residual sugar
Fermentation converts grape sugar into alcohol. If it continues until little fermentable sugar remains, the wine is dry; if it stops earlier or sweetness is added through a permitted process, residual sugar remains. The exact legal ranges depend on the wine category and jurisdiction.
Sparkling terms are regulated clues
On sparkling wine, terms such as brut nature, extra brut, brut, extra dry and sec correspond to defined sugar ranges under the relevant rules. The sequence is counterintuitive: “extra dry” is normally sweeter than “brut”. Read the formal category rather than the everyday meaning of the English words.
Still-wine descriptions are less uniform
Dry, off-dry and medium are useful tasting language, but a back label's “luscious” or “crisp” is promotional description. German predicate terms describe grape must weight and ripeness categories, not a simple guaranteed sweetness ladder in the finished bottle.
How to choose when the label is vague
Check the producer's technical sheet or ask for residual sugar when the distinction matters. Alcohol can offer a clue in some styles — unfermented sugar may accompany lower alcohol — but it is not proof on its own.
