Whoever said “the days are long but the years are short” knew exactly what they were talking about...especially in regards to Dry January. If you’re participating in dry January this year and refraining from drinking alcohol for one month, congratulations, you’re done! But, if you’re like us and don’t want to give up wine for a whole month, why don’t you try out our version of Dry January?

The Burklee Hill Cabernet Sauvignon is a dry red wine.

Instead of refraining from consuming alcohol this January, we’re going to learn what Dry January really means...as in, what dry really means in wine!

Dry is one of those terms that is constantly thrown around when discussing wine, especially as a descriptor of red wine. Wine-drinkers often use dry to describe when they taste wine that are bitter, non-fruity, or highly tannic. So, let’s get into it: what does dry wine really mean?

What does “dry” in wine really mean?

Dry in wine means that the wine is low in sugar or has no sugar. Yep, that’s it! The characteristics that people may think make a wine dry (fruitiness, tannins, bitterness) really have nothing to do with actual dryness.

A common misconception is that wine is dry if it “dries” out your mouth after drinking it. Wines that are high in tannins can make your mouth feel dry after consumption. But, a sense of dryness in your mouth isn’t actually what dry means in wine.

Many white wines that have a very small amount of sugar to smooth out any bitterness are still considered dry, like the Burklee Hill Olivia.

A Quick Lesson in Wine-Making

To further understand this, let’s take a look at the wine-making process.

● Grow & harvest the grapes: The first step in wine-making is to grow and harvest the grapes.

● Crushing & pressing: After the grapes are ready, they are destemmed, crushed, and pressed.

● Fermentation: Next, we add the yeast to the grapes and allow it to ferment. This step is important in understanding dryness of wine. Fermentation is integral in making dry wines, as the wine-makers can allow the fermentation to continue until all or most of the sugar is turned into alcohol - this is how a wine becomes dry.

● Clarification: Clarification is a filtration/fining process to clarify the wine and remove the proteins, dead yeast, and tannins.

● Aging and bottling: Finally, the wine is aged, bottled, and ready for you to consume.

The Burklee Hill dry Burnett features a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.

The wine-making process is fairly straightforward, as you can see. The important part to understand for Dry January is fermentation. During fermentation, the natural sugars in the grapes are turned into alcohol. As dry wine is just wine with little to no sugar, if you let the grapes ferment for long enough, all or most of the sugars will turn into alcohol and your wine will be dry. Easy enough, right?

Can white wine be dry?

Simple answer: yes, of course! When we think of dry wine, we usually think of red wine, perhaps it’s because dry is often used as a descriptor for bitter or tannic red wine. As dry wine is just wine with little to no sugar, white wine that has been fermented long enough for all or most of the sugars to turn into alcohol is also considered dry.

The Burklee Hill Sparkling Pinot Meunier is the driest of our whites.

Dry Wine Favorites

Congratulations, you’re now a dry wine expert! But of course, we can’t possibly talk about what dry wine means without talking about actual dry wines.

Dry wines can have a variety of flavors, ranging from fruity and sweet to oaky and bitter.

Here are three of our favorite dry wines:

2017 Burnett: Burklee Hill’s 2017 Burnett is a dry red wine, with a deep plum profile and hints of spice and vanilla. It is a Tuscan-style blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.

2017 Sparkling Pinot Meunier: This sparkling white wine is both fresh, tangy, and dry. You’ll taste light hints of green apples and strawberries, with bready notes.

2017 Cabernet Sauvignon: Our 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is a dry red wine, showcasing what Hill family Texas wine really mean. You’ll taste notes of black curant, cherry, and subtle oak in this wine.

Happy Dry January - Burklee Hill style!

"Dry" January Unwrapped: What Does Dry Wine Really Mean