Jul 2015
Fruit Forward Wines
July, 2015 Filed in: Wine varieties
One common question we get from time to time is someone looking for a red wine that is not dry but has some sweetness to it. Until recently this in the wine world was very atypical. You see all reds, unlike their white wine brethren finish dry. When wine industry folk use the term “dry wine” it means the wine finishes with no residual sugar. Wines with no residual sugar are assigned a score or measurement of 0. This is in contrast to something like a German off-dry white wine that might have a sweetness score of say 2-3.
Likely what the person is looking for is what is known as a fruit forward red wine that has a fruity or pronounced grapey flavour, or sometimes called jammy. These wine again have no residual sugar at finishing but they have a perceived sweetness. Examples of grape varieties that produce fruit forward wines are Shiraz, Zinfandel, and to a certain extent Pinot Noir. Amarone, a blended wine also produces the same bold fruit forward attributes. So chances are, these are the wines that will most likely appeal to folks wanting a red wine that is a little fruitier.
However, a trend lately seen in the commercial wine industry is off-dry reds. While, not as sweet as some of the off-dry white wine counterparts these red wines might have a sweetness score of 1 or 2 at the most. Apothic Red, Canada’s largest selling commercial red wine is a perfect example of this trend. Word on the street is the varieties found in Apothic Red are a Shiraz/Zinfandel blend.
We do have red wine kits that are modeled on this popular selling off-dry red wine phenomena. These wine kits will have small F-packs in them to achieve the desired sweetness. Examples of these kits are the CellerCraft Mystic wine kit and also the Vintners Reserve Diablo Rojo is also an off-dry red. Winexpert’s Selection Enigma wine kit also is a very fruit forward wine produced without the F-pack.
Likely what the person is looking for is what is known as a fruit forward red wine that has a fruity or pronounced grapey flavour, or sometimes called jammy. These wine again have no residual sugar at finishing but they have a perceived sweetness. Examples of grape varieties that produce fruit forward wines are Shiraz, Zinfandel, and to a certain extent Pinot Noir. Amarone, a blended wine also produces the same bold fruit forward attributes. So chances are, these are the wines that will most likely appeal to folks wanting a red wine that is a little fruitier.
However, a trend lately seen in the commercial wine industry is off-dry reds. While, not as sweet as some of the off-dry white wine counterparts these red wines might have a sweetness score of 1 or 2 at the most. Apothic Red, Canada’s largest selling commercial red wine is a perfect example of this trend. Word on the street is the varieties found in Apothic Red are a Shiraz/Zinfandel blend.
We do have red wine kits that are modeled on this popular selling off-dry red wine phenomena. These wine kits will have small F-packs in them to achieve the desired sweetness. Examples of these kits are the CellerCraft Mystic wine kit and also the Vintners Reserve Diablo Rojo is also an off-dry red. Winexpert’s Selection Enigma wine kit also is a very fruit forward wine produced without the F-pack.