What are the differences between sweet and dry Vermouth wine?
Sweet and dry vermouth differ mainly in sugar. Under EU rules (Regulation 251/2014) a dry aromatised wine has less than 50 g of sugar per litre and a sweet one has 130 g per litre or more; extra dry is under 30 g per litre. In the US, vermouth is legally an aperitif wine made from grape wine with at least 15% alcohol by volume.
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In this article
What is the difference between dry and sweet vermouth?
The difference is sugar. EU Regulation 251/2014, Article 6, sets these terms for aromatised wine, measured as invert sugar:
| Label term | Sugar per litre |
|---|---|
| Extra dry | under 30 g |
| Dry | under 50 g |
| Semi-dry | 50 g to under 90 g |
| Semi-sweet | 90 g to under 130 g |
| Sweet | 130 g or more |
So dry vs extra dry is also a sugar difference: extra dry has the lower limit.
What is vermouth?
The EU regulation defines vermouth as aromatised wine to which alcohol has been added and whose characteristic taste comes from appropriate substances of Artemisia species (wormwood is in this plant genus).
US federal rules (27 CFR 4.21) say vermouth is a type of aperitif wine compounded from grape wine, and aperitif wine has an alcohol content of not less than 15 percent by volume.
Is vermouth sweet or dry?
Both exist, so check the label. A label that says only “vermouth” does not tell you the sugar level in the sources we opened.
Is red vermouth the same as sweet vermouth?
We found no official source that defines color terms such as red, rosso or white for vermouth, so we do not state a rule. Flavor profiles and cocktail uses are also not covered by these rules.
Vermouth is alcohol. Drink responsibly; this is general information.
People also ask
What is the difference between sweet and dry vermouth?
Sugar. In EU rules, dry has less than 50 g sugar per litre and sweet has 130 g per litre or more.
What is the difference between dry and extra dry vermouth?
Under EU Regulation 251/2014, extra dry means less than 30 g sugar per litre, and dry means less than 50 g per litre.
Is vermouth alcohol?
Yes. EU rules describe it as aromatised wine to which alcohol has been added, and US rules classify it as aperitif wine with at least 15% alcohol by volume.
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