Please don't misunderstand, there are plenty of wines out there that have little to no residual sugar. If you go out and buy an average Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or any other red wine, chances are that you'll get a wine that's got negligible sugar in it.

White wines like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are also pretty good bets as long as you're buying from a well established wine maker.

It's wines like Reisling, Gewurztraminer, white blends, etc. where you start to play a guessing game.

I wouldn't trust any rosé wine unless you verify that it's dry. People often expect a white zin or white merlot to be sweet, and wineries play to this perception. Same with jug and box wines, for anyone who's drinking them.

As for why I know any of this... I got interested in wines about 4 years ago, and ever since I've been reading, taking classes, tasting (obviously!), and in general just enjoying the wine world. It helps that I'm only an hour from Napa. With any luck someday I'll have my own winery and I'll be able to verify that we don't sweeten any of our wines!

~Ryan