Industry Sweetness Scale Guide

A concern for many consumers (and echoed by many retailers) is that it’s very difficult to determine the approximate sweetness of a Kentucky wine. Most people can pick up a Cab Sauv and feel comfortable that it’s going to be a dry wine. Many people can pick up a Moscato and assume there’s going to be some sweetness- but how about a Chambourcin or a Vidal? If a customer is familiar with some of the more unique varieties we produce here in the state, they’ve probably tasted them in a number of styles and sweetness levels. Many wineries have already adopted some form of sweetness scale on their back labels to help inform consumers but scale designs differ from winery to winery. On top of that, one winery’s dry may be another wineries semi-dry or a‘2’ at Winery A may be considered a ‘5’ at Winery B.

By introducing a uniformed scale based on residual sugar that’s widely used by Kentucky’s wineries and easily recognizable by customers, we can continue to build consumer confidence and provide retailers with a valuable and reliable tool.

There are two designs of the scale to accommodate various bottle/label designs and size restrictions. Please feel free to use either or both options.

Click the link below to access and download the Kentucky Wine Sweetness Scale EPS Files to include on your label designs:

Kentucky SweetnessScale EPS Files

© 2013 Kentucky Grape and Wine Council