In traditional German wine classification, quality is measured by the grape's natural sugar level at harvest, known as Oechsle or Brix. This is different from the sugar level of the finished wine, known as what?

• A. Residual Sugar
• B. Alcohol content
• C. Tannin
• D. Acidity

Answer: (A)

The sugar level of the finished wine is determined by what remains after fermentation: residual sugar. Yeast consumes grape sugar to produce alcohol, and any sugar that isn’t converted stays dissolved in the wine, defining how sweet the wine tastes. In the traditional German system, quality is assessed by the must weight at harvest (Oechsle or Brix), not by how sweet the wine ends up being. So residual sugar best describes the finished wine’s sugar level.

Alcohol content reflects how much sugar was converted into alcohol, not how much sugar remains. Tannin and acidity relate to structure and tartness, not the sweetness level.