From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
A wine made from green grapes, can be dry, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay, or off-dry, such as Gewurtztraminer or Riesling. The grapes are picked and transported as quickly and gently as possible, then crushed with minimal pressure so that the skins do not release their tannins into the juice and make it sour. A dry white wine is one in which there is little residual sugar left after fermentation. An off-dry white is made by stopping fermentation before it is complete by adding a bit of sulfur dioxide, which stops the action of the yeasts and leaves a higher amount of residual sugar. See also blush wine, red wine, wine.
