High Alcohol Levels

P

Peter Creasey

Peter Creasey
Wine alcohol levels have certainly climbed. Elin McCoy’s survey of California wine labels indicated a rise from 12.5% in 1971 to 14.8% on average in 2001. Australian Wine Research Institute figures show the same trend for that country’s wines based on actual analysis: from 12.8% in 1975 to 14.5% in 2005. In the 1970s, mind you, common practice was to take advantage of the federal leeway of 1.5% to print multiple years’ labels (with a vintage neck strap) for wines that had not even been made yet, so the label declaration was in many cases meaningless. Today the trend is to understate high alcohols, and often 14.8% is really 15.8%. The trend toward riper fruit is even more drastic, since alcohol adjustment technologies now decrease 45% of California wines by an average of 1%, often to avoid the 50¢ tax bump at 14%.

What brought about this sea change in California’s alcohol levels?
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Some Like It Hot

. . . . . Pete
 
Consumer preference driven by reviewers who feel the same.
BTW, the tax bump is at 14.1%; at 14.0% you are still below the line.
Best, Jim
 
A lot of factors moving in synch: warmer temperatures, healthier vines, fear of "green" tannins, longer hangtime (in covariance with many of these other factors), some wineries chasing scores from select critics*, some wineries chasing perceived consumer preference*, actual taste preferences of many winemakers, changes in perceptions of what "maturity" tastes like in the grapes on the vine, ability of wineries to force lower yields/higher sugars on vineyards in a weak grape market, and probably some more I'm not thinking of. A perfect storm of sugar, you might say.

*neither of which is backed by much research
 
originally posted by Kay Bixler:
In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women.
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What if you're a heterosexual woman?

How does the chain work in that case? (Not that Tony was very concerned with women's needs or wants)
 
The phenomenon certainly isn't limited to California wines. Tasting through a flight of Cotes du Rhones this week I had the same experience. Lots of heat and labels that said anywhere from 13.5 up to, yes, 16%.

I won't buy them. I find myself buying the less critically acclaimed vintages because they're plenty ripe enough and the latest "vintage of the century" shouldn't be held near an open flame. Problem #1 in wine today, imo.
 
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