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Paul Edwards: Why are we so afraid to admit we like sweetness in wine?

Paul EdwardsThe West Australian
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There’s a curious paradox with wine drinkers and sweet wines. We tend to talk dry but crave sweet. Many cellar doors report that after a tasting experience, sweeter wines sell like hotcakes. While in city bars and restaurants, dry wines are de rigueur.

No matter how sophisticated we may think our tastes are, most of us will enjoy some sweetness in wine; whether it be an “off-dry’” white, a prosecco, a brut champagne, or a viscose, amber sticky, part of the appeal is sweetness. It’s even not uncommon for your favourite “savvy blonk” or “bargain-bin-shiraz” to have a few grams of sugar remaining unfermented to add some appeal and texture. So why is it we’re so afraid to admit to liking sweetness in wine? Is it simply that some treats are meant to be sweet while others are not? In the sweet column: handmade chocolates, macaroons and lamingtons. In the other column: wine. Right? Yeah-nah!

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