There's no direct answer as to what the sweetest and driest red wines are, but rather a few candidates to consider. The industry's residual sugar scale is a good starting point.

The measurement notes the amount of sugar per liter in a bottle once fermentation is complete. Based on the scale, wines with over 30 grams of sugar per liter are considered sweet.

However, wine's sweet flavor also derives from how the compound tastes alongside other ingredients. Elements like the alcohol percentage and amount of tannins are also factors.

Fortified wines are often sweeter than others, which incorporate a spirit during fermentation, eliminating yeast and yielding more sugar. The sweetest fortified wine is tawny port.

For wines made in a traditional style, consider Italian Brachetto, which has a high ratio of sugar to alcohol, and German ice wine, which concentrates grape sugar by freezing.

Dry red wines contain less than 10 grams of sugar per liter and tend to display tons of tannins, a flavor element which overshadows sugar content.

The boldest example of this is the Italian Nebbiolo, which has one of the driest red wine palates. While often not as boldly dry, Cabernet Sauvignon or a Syrah are other options.