Wine & Dine Practice Exam

RS stands for residual sugar—the sugar that remains in a wine after fermentation. Yeast converts most of the grape sugars into alcohol and CO2, but fermentation often ends with some sugar left behind, which determines how sweet the wine will taste. This residual sugar is usually measured in grams per liter and helps classify a wine as dry, off-dry, or sweet—the lower the RS, the drier the wine, and the higher the RS, the sweeter. Other terms like relative sugar, real sugar, or residual strength aren’t standard wine terminology, so residual sugar is the correct label.