One of the six officially recognised taste sensations (in addition to bitter, fatty, salty, sour and umami) that can be perceived over the entire tongue, whereby the tip of the tongue is particularly sensitive to sweetness (see taste). The sweet flavour of a wine is perceived primarily on the basis of the residual sugar; this is the amount of unfermented sugar in g/litre. The subjective perception of sweetness depends on a number of factors. These include the ratio of the various ingredients to each other. Therefore, the flavour impression does not necessarily have to be identical to the actual analysis values. The carbon dioxide content of wines can have a certain sensory influence on the perception of sweetness.
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Egon Mark
Diplom-Sommelier, Weinakademiker und Weinberater, Volders (Österreich)