All about alcohol in wine Alcohol is one of the components of wine, some say an essential component of wine. But with increasing concern generally about the long-term effects of alcohol on our health, should we all be considering the alcoholic strength of a wine when we decide which bottle to open? This blog looks into the alcoholic content of wine, what ABV on wine labels means in real terms and how it translates into units of alcohol. It delves into the seemingly ever-higher levels of alcohol in wines at a time when many people are seeking low or no alcohol wine. Plus an infographic with examples of high, medium and low alcohol wines. Alcohol in Wine Alcohol is a by-product of the interaction between naturally occurring sugars in grapes and naturally occurring or added yeast during fermentation. If we ignore for now fortified wines like port and sherry which have had spirit added, the level of alcohol in wine can vary from 4 or 5% up to as much as 16% (some would argue that the range should start at 0% but more about that later). What does ABV on a wine label mean? The alcoholic strength of a wine is signified by the ABV percentage that must by law be on the bottle’s label. ABV means alcohol by volume i.e. the alcohol’s percentage by volume. This means that a standard 750ml bottle of wine labelled with 14% ABV will contain 105ml (14% of the 750ml) of pure alcohol. Most of the remaining 86% is water plus some acidity, any residual sugars and the phenolic compounds which give the wine its aromas and flavours. How to calculate units of alcohol from ABV levels A survey by YouGov on behalf of Action on Smoking & Health in 2021 suggests that 75% of people in the UK want to see units of alcohol on wine and other alcoholic drinks’ labels, in addition to the ABV level. It would seem therefore that people are at least trying to monitor their alcoholic consumption. In the UK many drinks companies have agreed to start publishing the units of alcohol per bottle on the label though I suspect some other countries may be less willing. The current maximum suggested levels are 14 units per week in the UK – this level has been confirmed as the maximum for both male and female consumers – sorry guys, but you can no longer say that you can drink 50% more than women. We all know how easy it can be to reach or exceed that level over a week especially in a social situation and especially given the larger wine glasses that the bars and pubs (and we ourselves at home) currently favour. But what does the ABV mean in terms of units of alcohol? To keep track of how many units you are consuming multiply your wine serving size by the ABV percentage and divide the sum by 1000 – or use the Wines With Attitude alcohol unit calculator below. For a 750ml bottle of 14% ABV wine the 105ml of pure alcohol equals 10.5 units of alcohol. One unit is therefore equal to 10 ml of pure alcohol. So with today’s large wine glass servings at 250ml, you can easily have over 3 units in just one glass of wine – that’s 4 glasses of 14% ABV wine a week to stay within the guidelines. [custom_calculator] ABV on wine labels In most countries it is a legal requirement to include the alcoholic strength or ABV on the wine’s front or back label. However it has been proven in various studies that the alcoholic strength as stated on the label is about 0.4% lower than the actual alcohol level for most Old World wines and about 0.45% for most New World wines. This falls within the EU’s tolerance level for mistakes. There is sometimes a suggestion that understating alcohol levels is done to “help” consumers avoid paying higher duty – did you know that duty in the UK on a bottle of wine at 15% ABV is currently £3.31 as opposed to £2.67 on most other wines? There are calls in some countries to make it a requirement for the alcoholic strength to be clearly stated on the front label to make people more aware. In the UK many drinks companies have agreed to start publishing the units of alcohol per bottle on the label. What affects a wine’s alcoholic strength? Regular readers of my wine blogs will know that there are many factors which can affect the alcoholic content of wine and you can find out more in my Lowering alcohol levels in wine blogpost. These include climate, weather, vineyard site and aspect, date of harvest, fermentation temperature, style of wine, yields, quality – and trends. ABV can range from about 5% to over 20% ABV though those at the latter end like port are fortified by adding spirit. Most still wines fall within the 11% to 15% range. Is wine stronger than it used to be? With the current and increasing trend for low or no alcohol wines, it might seem that winemakers are moving away from producing big blockbuster wines but in fact there has been a discernible trend in the not too distant past for higher alcohol in wine. One reason for the higher alcohol is global warming – hotter weather means more sugar in the ripening grapes and therefore more potential to produce higher alcohol – but there are many other contributory and more controllable factors: yeasts have been developed that can survive in higher alcohol levels therefore encouraging fermentation to last longer. Less tolerant yeast could be used instead many winemakers took to leaving grapes on the vine for longer to encourage more complexity and texture in their wines, though both complexity and texture can be developed in lower alcohol wines with good, careful viticulture and wine-making. Something as simple as changing pruning techniques can help grapes ripen more
Lowering alcohol levels in wine
Lowering alcohol levels in wine In the world of winemaking, the demand for lower alcohol wines and recent duty changes on alcohol in the UK are bringing a fresh challenge to the forefront: finding ways to reduce alcohol levels in wine without compromising on the flavour and quality. As consumers increasingly seek wines with lower alcohol content, winemakers are faced with the delicate task of keeping sugar levels low in the grapes and controlling alcohol levels in the winery. In this article, we’ll delve into the intricacies of this winemaking balancing act, exploring both vineyard and winery practices and techniques that potentially allow winemakers to achieve this goal while preserving the essence of the wine. The challenge of high alcohol levels in wine High alcohol levels in wine have become a concern for some consumers seeking to decrease their alcohol intake whilst still wishing to enjoy a glass or two of their favourite tipple. In addition, recent duty changes in the UK have seen a £0.44 increase in duty on bottles of still wine with ABV between 11.5% and 14.5% to £2.67 – and to compound the issue, from 1st February 2025 duty on all wine will be calculated according to the ABV such that wines with higher alcohol will attract higher duty. I have written before about the new UK duty system and how it is good in theory but has not, in my opinion, been executed very well. A wine with a fairly average 13.5% ABV will incur duty of £2.89 from February 2025 whilst the price of a 15% ABV wine will include a whopping £3.21 duty tariff. Consequently high alcohol wines are now increasingly becoming a concern for winemakers. However it is not easy to produce low alcohol wines in many wine-making countries; the natural sugars in grapes ferment into alcohol during the winemaking process so in hotter climates grapes naturally have elevated sugar content. Climate change is already making it more difficult to rein in the alcohol content. As a result, wines with alcohol content exceeding 14% have become increasingly common. But there are potentially several ways to try to lower sugar and alcohol levels. Vineyard options to reduce alcohol in wine Winemakers have a number of options in the vineyard to help them achieve reduced sugar levels in the grapes: Grape Variety Selection Theoretically one of the first decisions a winemaker makes is choosing the grape variety although in practice many winemakers inherit or purchase a vineyard with older vines that they might not want to change (read why older vines are often considered to produce better wines). If there is an option however to start afresh with new vines, there are some grape varieties that inherently produce wines with lower alcohol levels, for example, varieties like Riesling, Muscat and Melon de Bourgogne (the Muscadet grape). However reduced alcohol often means sweeter wines which are not to everyone’s taste and those varieties may not suit the vineyard’s terroir, which is usually the winemaker’s principal criteria for grape variety selection. For somthing quite low in alcohol c. 5% and just slightly sweet, try a Moscato d’Asti – especially with desserts! Vineyard Location and Microclimate The location of the vineyard and even specific parts of the vineyard play a vital role in grape ripening and therefore a wine’s potential alcohol content. Cooler climate areas tend to produce grapes with lower sugar content because the growing season is longer, allowing grapes to ripen more slowly. This is why cool climate wines are generally spoken of in hallowed terms and why more commercial, entry-level wines are more likely to originate from hotter climate areas. Within a vineyard whether winemakers choosing specific plots with cooler microclimates make a huge impact on sugar levels is debateable however. Harvest Timing Picking grapes earlier, when grapes have lower sugar levels, might help maintain lower alcohol content but there are several other considerations. Firstly, since acidity in grapes decreases as sugar increases, picking needs to be at a time when sugar and acidity are balanced. If sugars are low and acidity too high, wine can taste quite sour and sharp. Conversely high sugars and low acidity leads to flabby, wines with higher alcohol and a shorter longevity. Acid can be added in the winery but most discerning wine consumers would prefer minimal intervention in the winemaking process. Winemakers also need to ensure grapes are ripe enough to provide their desired flavour profile. Grapes which are picked too early can lead to undesirable green, vegetal flavours in the resulting wine. Pruning There is a direct relationship between the number of leaves surrounding the grape bunches on the vine and sugar levels in the grapes since it is the leaves that initiate the sugar through photosynthesis (and the vines that transport he sugar to the fruit). Cutting away some of the leaf coverage or canopy could therefore potentially reduce sugar levels but there are other factors like nutrients, water and sunlight to take into account and the remaining leaves are believed to compensate to a degree and so pruning is not a sure-fire method for reducing alcohol or sugar. Winery practices to reduce alcohol in wine Reverse Osmosis A process also used to desalinate seawater, this advanced technique involves passing wine through a membrane that separates the alcohol and water from other larger components. The water and alcohol are then separated from each other by distillation and the water added back into the wine to dilute it. Whilst reverse osmosis allows winemakers to control alcohol levels more precisely, it is a costly and resource-intensive process. Most importantly however, some of the things that are effectively filtered out are the tannins and some of the aroma, colour and flavour components. The taste, balance and whole character of the wine can therefore be seriously compromised. Spinning Cone technology This has been around for several years but has only caught people’s attention in recent years, as low and no alcohol wines