Residual sugar
German: Restzucker Also known as: RZ, Zuckerrest
Sugar that remains in the drink after fermentation, given in grams per litre and decisive for the degree of sweetness.
Residual sugar is the sugar that yeast did not convert into alcohol during fermentation or that was added afterwards. It is usually stated in grams per litre. The higher the residual sugar, the sweeter a wine or sparkling wine generally is.
For wine and sparkling wine there are legally defined taste designations such as dry or off-dry, tied to certain amounts. How sweet a drink seems also depends on acidity. The applicable regulations are decisive and set different limits depending on the type of drink.
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