Alcohol content

Alcohol content tells you how much of the wine consists of alcohol, more precisely ethanol, which forms when yeast converts the grapes' sugar during fermentation. The figure appears on the label and is written as a percentage by volume, often abbreviated "vol.". A wine at 13 vol. therefore means that 13 percent of the liquid is alcohol. The riper the grapes, and the more sugar they contain, the more alcohol the fermentation can produce. For something to be called wine at all, the alcohol content typically has to be above a certain level, usually around 8.5 percent, and in certain areas it can be set a little lower.

The alcohol content matters for how the wine tastes and feels. Alcohol gives body, a slightly warming sensation on the palate, and contributes to the impression of power. Light, fresh white wines often sit at the low end, while full-bodied reds and powerful whites tend to sit higher. Sweet dessert wines and fortified wines can have even more, because they are either made from very sugar-rich grapes or have alcohol added.

A widespread misunderstanding is that a high alcohol content always means better quality. That is not true. The figure mostly tells you about the wine's style and strength, not whether it is well made. If you use the alcohol content as a guide to how robust the wine is and what it suits, you will get the most out of the information.