What does "dry" mean?

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crankin

Senior Cook
Joined
Mar 31, 2007
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353
On a lot of alcoholic products (gin, cooking wines, cider, vermouth) I see the word "dry". What does that mean? Is it referring to a type of alcohol or how it was produced? Or the strength?
 
It has to do with it's taste. Like Pinot Grigio is to Riesling. Basically it's the opposite of sweet....but not sour or bitter. Or Brut Champagne to Sweet Sparkling wine
 
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Dry, as in some of the jokes that are told on here, not mentioning any names in particular, you know that, right Buck, BT??:ROFLMAO::LOL:
 
Jeekinz hit the nail on the head. It is the opposite of sweet. The drier the wine the more it will make your mouth pucker.
 
Dry and sharp to me (not a wine drinker) do not like dry wine-prefer sweet, same with sharp cheese, not for me - there is a big difference.
 
DH and I are not wine drinkers either.. We had dinner one night with an older couple that we met right after we bought our house.. They bought us a bottle of wine to go with dinner (can't remember what it was called, but we saw it was a $6 wine at the store a couple days later) I almost lost it when I saw the look on my DH's face when he first took a drink........:sick: The dinner that night was amazing, except for the occasional drink we had to take of that wine!!

Anyways, my brother took us out to eat at this fancy shmancy resteraunt on our honeymoon, and ordered us a bottle of wine, that if i'm not mistaken, was about $300!?

lol, it was literaly, just as disgusting (to us) as the $6.00 wine.. :LOL:

So i'm completely new to wine. I have a beef and noodles recipe I keep meaning to make, that calls for a cup of 'Dry Sherry'. But i'm still very intersted in cooking more with wines..
 
There's a good thread here for
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Newbie wine drinkers. Maybe GB or someone can find it. It basically says to stay away from dry wines until you develop your tastes.
 
Jeekinz hit the nail on the head. It is the opposite of sweet. The drier the wine the more it will make your mouth pucker.

Pucker? That makes it sound like dry wine is sour, which is definitely not the case in the definitional sense. Once in a while I am sure a dry wine will sound a sour note, though.

The dryness of wine depends on how much of the sugar has been converted to alcohol -- it's a measure of sweetness.

Dry wine will not be sweet. IMO they usually don't make my mouth pucker, just smile :)
 
i don't recall that thread actually Jeekinz. I must have missed that one.

I am not sure if I would agree with staying away from dry wines until you develop your taste. I do not think it would really develop unless you try the dry ones. I am by no means a wine expert. This is just my uneducated opinion.

I will say though that most people starting out with wine will not like the dry as much as the sweet. It taste some time (and lots of sampling) before you begin to appreciate the drier stuff. Maybe that is what they thread was refering to?
 
Pucker? That makes it sound like dry wine is sour, which is definitely not the case in the definitional sense. Once in a while I am sure a dry wine will sound a sour note, though.

The dryness of wine depends on how much of the sugar has been converted to alcohol -- it's a measure of sweetness.

Dry wine will not be sweet. IMO they usually don't make my mouth pucker, just smile :)
Yeah pucker was not exactly what I was looking for, but it was as close as I could get :LOL:
 
When you are ready beginner chef, go to your local liquor store and have them suggest some good wines to start out on. Give them your price range. A good bottle of wine does not have to cost a lot. You can get a very good bottle for $10 just as you can get a lousy bottle for $300. Price is not always an indication of what will taste good to you when it comes to wine.
 
IMO a very good dry wine for a beginning wine drinker is Beaujolais Nouveau.

It is released for sale in November and should be drunk immediately, unlike most reds.

It is light and usually very fruity. This years was very nice and had a big blueberry nose.

You may still be able to find some around. I had a bottle leftover and drank it the other night and it wasn't nearly as enjoyable as it was in December, but still good.
 
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