This list is the Wine Curmudgeon’s compilation of red wines sold in the U.S. that are actually sweet — even though they’re marketed as dry, and nothing on the label says they contain enough residual sugar to be called sweet. In this case, that means the wines contain more than 0.8 percent residual sugar. That figure is higher than a traditional red wine, but is also several tenths of a percentage point less than wines like E&J Gallo’s Apothic, which don’t attempt any residual sugar skulduggery.
The wines are listed here if: They state their residual sugar in any technical information; a winemaker or winery representative has told me the wine is sweet and not dry; or it tastes sweet when I share it with several other professionals in the wine business (and will be labeled as estimated). If you know a wine that meets these qualifications, let me know and I will add it to the list.
If any of the wines listed are less than 0.8 percent and there’s documentation, I’ll remove them. In addition, I won’t list any wine that is labeled sweet.
Wine Residual sugar/estimated
Campo Viejo Rioja 2016 Estimated
Marques de Caceres Rioja 2016 Estimated
Charles & Charles Red Blend 2015 Estimated