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When compared with, say, a typical 86-proof cognac (which means it’s 43 percent alcohol by volume), your typical wine at around 14 percent alcohol would seem about as threatening as a bottle of Evian—right? But the alcohol level in wine varies so widely, anywhere from 8 to 18 percent, that the effects of enjoying a few glasses with a meal can range from feeling nothing whatsoever to putting you to sleep with the spins.
More wines are skewing toward 14 percent, which has to do with the recent “hang time” trend of letting grapes stay on the vines longer so they develop fuller flavor. What also happens is that the grapes’ sugar levels continue to increase, which ferments out as higher alcohol. That is why so many red California zinfandels and Italian amarones, clocking in at upward of 16 percent, taste nearly as potent as fortified port wine, which is about 20 percent alcohol.
The higher the alcohol in wine, the more out of balance it becomes, putting a hard, bitter edge on an otherwise juicy, cassis-kissed cabernet. Worse, if it’s served above a room temperature of 65ºF, it will taste both literally and texturally hot.
Purists may argue that a wine isn’t properly balanced if it doesn’t reach at least 11 percent alcohol, but there are times when a lightweight wine is welcome. Joshua Wesson, co-founder of the Best Cellars wine stores, described Portugal’s low-alcohol (9 percent) vinho verde as “so refreshing it’s the preferred lunch wine of Portuguese dentists and plastic surgeons.”
Technically, there’s no category called “low-alcohol wines,” but if there were, all of its wines would be white. Along with vinho verde, check the labels on German rieslings, Italian moscato d’astis, and sparkling wines from all over the place. An added bonus is affordability: Lower alcohol usually means lower price.
Photograph by Tom Sicurella
Hmm...
Hey, Anthony, it's Maria from our Italy Sangiovese trip...I've had more and more discussions with winemakers and profs at UC-Davis that new rootstocks are also contributors to high-alcohol wines -- something completely independent of sugar levels. The fruit sugars of certain rootstocks converts "more easily" to alcohol. Have you encountered this?
"While there are plenty of wines on the market that hit 14% alcohol or higher, it's got little to do with a 'trend' of letting grapes hang longer."
That's not true. If you read trade magazines like Wines & Vines there are articles about the trend every month or two. Wine geek publications and Web sites have also covered it. The winemaker quotes in this one pretty much cover the shift how they...+READ
"While there are plenty of wines on the market that hit 14% alcohol or higher, it's got little to do with a 'trend' of letting grapes hang longer."
That's not true. If you read trade magazines like Wines & Vines there are articles about the trend every month or two. Wine geek publications and Web sites have also covered it. The winemaker quotes in this one pretty much cover the shift how they define ripeness and the consequent increase in alcohol levels:
http://www.jancisrobinson.com/winenews/winenews050502
Occasionally you see articles in general-interest magazines as well, e.g.:
http://www.sunset.com/sunset/food/wine/article/0,20633,1074287,00.html-COLLAPSE
The previous post had it nailed. Living in Northern California/Central Valley area, it is very difficult to find even the "lighter/crisper" varietals(Sauv Blanc, Pinot Gris etc.) under 13%. Notorious for only having only two real seasons a year, winter/wet and summer/dry and hot, it's not surprising for many of the California wines to have high alcohol contents. Given the fact that I like to have...+READ
The previous post had it nailed. Living in Northern California/Central Valley area, it is very difficult to find even the "lighter/crisper" varietals(Sauv Blanc, Pinot Gris etc.) under 13%. Notorious for only having only two real seasons a year, winter/wet and summer/dry and hot, it's not surprising for many of the California wines to have high alcohol contents. Given the fact that I like to have a glass or two of wine a night, I have no choice but to now always check the alcohol content when I am buying. It's become a habit. It's not that it's ever actually stopped me from making a purchase, it's more as if I know what I am getting myself into. That one glass has to definitely stop at one if I don't want to feel it the next day.-COLLAPSE
You can find a ton of wines at or under 13% if you look to cool climates. New York wines are almost all in that range. They are food friendly, underrated by most wine snobs and you can drink a few glasses with dinner and still function.
While there are plenty of wines on the market that hit 14% alcohol or higher, it's got little to do with a "trend" of letting grapes hang longer. If you've got a ripe year, you might have more concentrated sugars and thus more alcohol; in year with poor weather you can let grapes hang all you want and still get thin wine (or rotten grapes, at that rate.)
Look at Piedmont for more low-alcohol...+READ
While there are plenty of wines on the market that hit 14% alcohol or higher, it's got little to do with a "trend" of letting grapes hang longer. If you've got a ripe year, you might have more concentrated sugars and thus more alcohol; in year with poor weather you can let grapes hang all you want and still get thin wine (or rotten grapes, at that rate.)
Look at Piedmont for more low-alcohol wines; there's a Malvasia red, slightly frizzante, that I've tried that's just 5% alcohol. There are plenty of wines that are high-alcohol *and* well-balanced, too--they're called well-made wines. Plenty of wines from the southern Rhone, are big, bold, and sometimes tip towards 15%--but you'd never know it.-COLLAPSE
There are low-alcohol reds. I've seen dry Lambrusco at 8-9%, sweet as low as 5%. (Don't confuse the traditional Italian Lambrusco with the stuff Riunite invented to appeal to American Coca-Cola drinkers.)
And by current standards, anything under 13% is low-alcohol. I prefer around 12% alcohol and find plenty of such wines from Italy, France, Spain, Austria, and South Africa.