Alcohol Content

Alcohol content is the quantity of ethyl alcohol in the wine, given as a part of the total volume. During the fermentation of the grapes, yeast turns the sugar into alcohol. Thus it is common for a sweet wine to be low in alcohol content, because the fermentation process is suspended before most of the sugar can be converted into alcohol.

In addition to the obvious benefits, alcohol contributes significantly to the characteristics of a wine. As mentioned above, wine with a lower alcohol content will portray sweet characteristics. A wine with a very high alcohol content is often described as tasting thick and hot; this is especially common in fortified wines. Furthermore, the *legs* of a wine will be thicker and longer lasting if there is a higher alcohol content. That is about the only thing you can honestly gauge from the *legs* of a wine.

Alcohol content can be measured in both degrees and percentile. 13% equals 13 degrees. The alcohol content of most wines typically fall between 8% and 14%. The Zinfandel and Shiraz varietals, however, can reach up to 16.5%. Once you crest 17% alcohol content, you have entered into the realm of fortified wines, like Ports and dessert wines. These wines have had additional alcohol infused into them.

U.S. laws require that a wine label disclose the approximate amount of alcohol in the wine. One way is to simply print *Table Wine* on the bottle; this indicates that the wine contains between 11% and 14% alcohol. Another option is the print the percentile or degree amount on the label. This number, however, does not need to be exact: the actual alcohol content of the wine can be 1.5% greater or less than the amount printed on the label. Typically the alcohol content of a wine can be found near the edge of the label in a fairly small font.