Looking at trends is key to effective marketing.   Being aware of wine trends is no exception.

Recently a few articles have appeared about low or lower alcohol  wines as consumers consider their alcohol intake for all sorts of health and safety related reasons.

This trend leads me to consider the importance of the label on all bottles of wine, which must identify the alcohol percentage by volume of the wine, described as …%alc./vol. or sometimes …%vol.

Interestingly, most articles giving advice on wine don’t give the % alc./vol. of wine they write about.    I too have neglected to do this in the past!!

The range of % alc./vol values in different wines is surprising.

I did a quick check on the wines in my “cellar” and purposefully selected wines with less than 14% alc./vol., which is quite a common figure for many red wines, in particular.

7 wines with lower alcoholic values

The 7 wines in the photo demonstrate an alcohol range from 10.5 % to 13.5% alc./vol   The scale of difference is worth considering as the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at 13.5% alc./vol. is 28% more alcoholic than the Riesling at 10.5% alc./vol.

The alcohol level in wines is not a static measure and will vary year by year as a factor of the terroir where the vines are grown: influenced by weather, sunlight, soil, latitude, altitude, vineyard management etc.   Alcohol production in wine is a natural fermentation process of the interaction of yeasts on the sugar in the must (pressed grapes and often stalks)  producing alcohol and carbon dioxide (CO2).  The greater the sugar the higher the alcohol.

In general terms what this can translate to, if choosing wines with a lower alcoholic value, is choosing wines from cooler climates.

White wines from Northern Europe will likely have less alcoholic content:  consider a Riesling from Germany, a Pinot Grigio from Northern Italy or a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire, the Bordeaux area or British Columbia.   Champagne is always a good choice for a lower alcoholic wine!

Red wines from Burgundy like a Pinot Noir or a Beaujolais are not only generally lower in alcohol but they are also a good flexible choice to pair with a number of dishes.   Pinot Noir from British Columbia also fits the bill.

The  list below itemizes the 7 wines in the photo and their alcoholic levels, for illustrative purposes only.

I’m not advocating only drinking wines lower than 14%.   Many of the beautiful Bordeaux wines that I wrote about in the last couple of blog posts as well as other wines I enjoy are in that range.

I am advocating carefully checking the bottle labels to be better informed about the wines we select.

Happy Wine Selecting!

elizabethsvines