dry wines

[Innkeeper]

Hi BB, and welcome to the Wine Board. To say that "dry" means "unsweet" is a bit of a misnomer. It means that all the sugar in the grapes have been converted into alcohol. There is frequently some apparent sweetness picked up from the strong fruit flavors in those wines.

Red wines almost never talk about sweetness on the label. With a few exceptions, e.g. Lambrusco, they are mostly dry. White and sparkling wines do mention dryness and sweetness on the label in a variety of ways, because many of them can be made in many degrees of sweetness.

As far as brands are concerned, you can hardly go wrong with the reds from Columbia Crest from Washington State, or Bogle from California. Talking about quality under $15 here.