Implemented by the
Wine Council of Ontario in
Canada, the
sugar code of a
wine is a
numerical representation of its
sweetness. Save for
very dry wines,
Sugar Codes are calculated:
Sugar Code = SR / W
Where
SR is residual sugar in grams
W is volume of wine in litres
The amount of
sugar is most often measured
colourimetrically using
refractometers.
Grams of Sugar Code Apparent Sweetness
Sugar per Litre
0 to 4.9 0 Very Dry
5.0 to 14.9 1 Dry
15.0 to 24.9 2 Dry
25.0 to 34.9 3 Medium
35.0 to 44.9 4 Medium
45.0 to 54.9 5 Medium
55.0 to 64.9 6 Medium
65.0 to 74.9 7 Sweet
75.0 to 84.9 8
85.0 to 94.9 9
... ... ...
195.0 to 204.9 20
205.0 to 214.9 21
215.0 to 224.9 22
225.0 to 234.9 23
235.0 to 244.9 24
245.0 to 254.9 25
Ice wines often have a
sugar code of 20 or more.
Consider that a can of Coke (with approximately 40 g of sugar per 355 mL can) would have an sugar code of close to 110.