Residual Sugar

Natural grape sugar that remains in wine because it has not been converted into ALCOHOL during FERMENTATION. Wines that taste dry can nonetheless have a tiny amount of residual sugar in them. Winemakers often leave small amounts of sugar in wine to make it seem rounder and more appealing (sweetness has a slight fat feeling to it). Wine producers are not required to list residual sugar content on labels.

Which Saturday Night Live alumnus will take their turn in the director’s seat with a new Netflix film Wine Country set in California’s Napa Valley?

A. Dan Aykroyd

B. Tina Fey

C. Adam Sandler

D. Amy Poehler

American actress, writer, and producer, Amy Poehler, will direct, produce, and star in the Netflix comedy film Wine Country. The film tells the story of a group of old friends who go to Napa Valley for a weekend getaway to celebrate a 50th birthday. Look out wine country. Amy and crew are currently in Napa. No word yet on which wineries will make it to the small screen.

“A grade on an exam or relating to a student’s performance in a subject isn’t everything; it is just part of the story. A test grade tells you nothing of the student’s personality, style, or if you will even like them. Why? Because a score cannot begin to relate all those other qualities of a person or wine that are immeasurable. A score tells the reader nothing about the style and the character or personality of a wine. It doesn’t convey if the wine is light-bodied, perfumed and elegant or full-bodied, rich and generous. It doesn’t tell the reader if the wine is savory, fruity, spicy, herbaceous or toasty in character. It doesn’t convey if the wine is too young to drink, within its drinking window or over the hill.… This is why a well-written, accurate tasting note is as equally important as the score. Tasting notes should contain all the style, character and maturity information necessary to tell a potential buyer something about the experience she/he can expect from the wine and therefore—regardless of quality—whether they will like it. How can you know if you will like a wine if you do not know what it’s like?”

—Lisa Perrotti-Brown, editor-in-chief of The Wine Advocate, January 7, 2019

Get WineSpeed