A dry wine is one with little or no perceptible residual sugar, because fermentation converted nearly all the grape sugar into alcohol. 'Dry' is the opposite of sweet and sits at one end of the sweetness scale (through off-dry and medium to lusciously sweet). Note that high tannin or acidity can make a technically dry wine taste even drier, and fruitiness can make it seem sweeter than it is.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR COLLECTORS
Most fine table wines are dry. Beware confusing fruitiness with sweetness — a ripe, fruit-forward dry wine can fool the palate. Label terms like 'brut' (sparkling) and 'sec' indicate dryness levels precisely.
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