I'm not sure what it is about our area, but customers LOVE sweet wine. One out of every 5 customers I help, all want sweet wine. Sweet red, sweet white, Moscato, you name it. It's no surprise that according to www.americashealthrankings.org/NJ, NJ ranks 16th out of the 50 states for people with diabetes. That's crazy!
Most consumers don't understand the difference between sweet and fruity. Generally, sweet is defined by the sugar content. The lower the alcohol %, the sweeter the wine. Shiraz and Merlot are generally fruity at 12% alcohol and higher. I usually explain that it's like biting into a ripe plum. Sweet, on the other hand, is a lower alcohol %. Either it has sugar added, grape must added, spirit added (like with Port) or the fermentation is stopped early, so that the grape's natural sugar is left behind.
I have a huge demographic of men, who all ask for sweet red wine. They really want Shiraz, red Zinfandel, and Merlot and other types of grapes with these characteristics.
When we have tastings, customers generally approach and ask what's sweet on the table. If there is not a sweet wine on the table, the customer won't try anything. Mainly, people want Riesling, Moscato and dessert wines. For these customers, the sweeter, the better. My teeth hurt just thinking about it!
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