In Defense of Semi-Sweet Reds (Yes, Really)

Somewhere along the way, the wine world decided that "dry" means "serious" and any hint of sweetness means "beginner." It's snobbery, and it's wrong. Some of the most celebrated reds on earth carry a touch of sweetness on purpose — and when I look honestly at my own ratings, the semi-sweet underdogs from the Caucasus score as high as anything in my cellar.

So let me make the unfashionable case: a little sweetness, done right, is not a flaw. It's a feature.

Germany learned the opposite lesson the hard way. Liebfraumilch made gentle sweetness a byword for cheap, anonymous wine, and German estates have spent decades climbing out from under it. The sweetness was never the problem; the anonymity was.

It's about balance, not sugar

A well-made semi-sweet red isn't syrupy. The sweetness is balanced by acidity and fruit, the way a great salted caramel isn't "salty" or "sweet" but both at once. The Caucasus figured this out centuries ago, often by harvesting in cool mountain climates that naturally leave a little residual sugar. The result is reds that are plush and welcoming but still fresh — wines that win over people who say they only drink dry, every single time.

Here are the two that prove the point, both rated at the very top of my list:

Review Roundup

Two semi-sweet underdogs that outscored my 'serious' bottles

1. 1

   Marani Khvanchkara

   Aleksandrouli & Mujuretuli · Racha, Georgia · 2019

   Revelation95/100

   Naturally semi-sweet and velvety, with citrus lift and raspberry. A 1907 Grand Prix winner — and still under twenty bucks.

   $
2. 2

   Armenia Wine Semisweet Red

   Indigenous Armenian blend · Aragatsotn, Armenia · 2018

   Revelation93/100

   Crisp, holds up for days after opening, and overflowing with red fruit — cherry, pomegranate, raspberry, strawberry.

   $

The snobbery is the opportunity

Here's the underdog angle: because the gatekeepers look down on semi-sweet reds, they're wildly underpriced and under-explored. Georgia's Khvanchkara has been a prized wine for over a century. Armenia — another ancient wine culture hiding in plain sight — is making gorgeous, fruit-soaked reds for the price of a movie ticket. The "rule" that sweetness is unserious is exactly the kind of received wisdom that leaves great bottles on the shelf for the rest of us.

Drink what you actually like. If that includes a red with a little sweetness and a lot of soul, you're in good — and very old — company.

— Chris Berry