Kiwis’ fondness for sweetness bad news for decent wines

Looking at New Zealand wine consumption, a solid argument could be made that popular taste has had little to do with good taste for the past 50 years. The reason for that is our fondness for sweetness. We like to think that craving the next sugar fix is an American thing, but we’re actually not that far behind. The obesity stats say as much. Our beer has traditionally leaned toward sweetness. With wine, for decades now New Zealanders have lapped up a series of go-to drops offering little but dollops of sweetness.