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It’s been said before, that a glass of wine a day is excellent for your health. However, you may be curious as to how much alcohol is in that glass of wine. The usual serving of wine in the United States is 5 ounces, which contains roughly 12 percent alcohol. However, because there are so many various kinds of wine, not every glass is created equal.
Your single serving will be smaller if you’re tasting wine with higher alcohol by volume (ABV). In contrast, if you’re drinking anything with low alcohol content, a larger pour equals one serving.
We’ll give you a quick rundown on how alcohol level is decided in the winemaking process, as well as which wines have lower alcohol content and which have higher alcohol content, to help you comprehend the highs and lows of wine alcohol content. We’ll also discuss how the amount of alcohol in a glass of wine can impact its flavor, as well as some wonderful food-matching ideas based on alcohol level.
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WHAT FACTORS GO INTO DETERMINING THE ALCOHOL CONTENT OF WINE?
Wine alcohol content is precisely proportionate to the amount of sugar in the grapes, whether we’re talking about red wine or white wine, sparkling wine or still wine. The more sugar there is, the more alcohol can be produced during fermentation. The lack of fermentation is why we don’t find alcohol in grape juice!
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Fermentation breaks down the sugar in grapes and transforms it to alcohol, as we described in our winemaking tutorial. This process comes to a halt after all of the sugar has been consumed, or when the winemaker intervenes, which can be done by adding extra sugar (a process known as chaptalization) or fortifying the wine with a distilled alcohol to create fortified wine.
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The type of wine, grape variety, and climate of the place where the grapes are cultivated are all determinants in how much sugar and alcohol are in a bottle of wine.
Cooler areas, for example, have a shorter growing season and cooler summers, which don’t expose the vine to as much sunlight. Champagne, France; Mosel, Germany; and the Willamette Valley, Oregon are examples of cool climate locations.
Warmer areas, on the other hand, have more sunshine, which causes the grapes to produce more sugar and ripen faster. (And, in many cases, resulting in a greater ABV.) Sonoma, California; Colchagua Valley, Chile; and Murray Valley, Australia are examples of warm climate locations.
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WINE’S ALCOHOL CONTENT, FROM LOWEST TO HIGHEST
The alcohol concentration of wine can be classified into numerous different categories, each with a different ABV threshold, depending on who you ask. Some people believe there are four or more categories, ranging from low and medium-low to medium-high, high, and extremely high.
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That, we think, is just plain picky. Instead, we’ve adopted a broader approach to these fictitious boundaries in order to keep things simple and practical. (Fussy people irritate us just as much as they irritate you.) It’s just not our way of doing things.)
There are always exceptions to the rules, as there are in most things in life. The figures we’ve used are broad estimates of the alcohol percentage of various wines. As a result, double-check the ABV % on the wine label to be sure you’re drinking the right amount of alcohol. Because local climate affects alcohol levels, we also considered wine-growing regions. Some regions produce higher alcohol wines than others.
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Wines With A Low Wine Alcohol Content (Less Than 12.5% Abv)
How low are you willing to go? If you’re attempting to cut back on your alcohol consumption, these light wines are ideal. Most are light, sparkly, and adaptable enough to be enjoyed at any time of year. A sweet dessert wine often falls in this category.
- Asti – Italian
- Brachetto d’Acqui – Italian
- Gamay – French
- Muscadet – French
- Prosecco – Italian
- Riesling – German
- Rosé – Portuguese
- Txakoli – Spanish
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Wines With A Moderate Alcohol Content (Abv) Range From 12.5 Percent To 14 Percent
Take a peek at the ABV on the bottle the next time you’re out shopping for your new favorite wines. The majority of wines are in the 12.5 percent -14-ish percent alcohol range. Here are some of the best alcoholic beverages to think about:
- Alsace – French
- Barolo – Italian
- Beaujolais – French
- Bordeaux – French
- Burgundy – French
- Champagne – Most
- Chardonnay – Australian; California
- Chianti – Italian
- Grüner Veltliner – Austrian
- Malbec – French
- Merlot – French
- Pinot Grigio – Italian
- Pinot Noir – California; French; German
- Riesling – Australian
- Rioja – Spanish
- Rosé – California
- Sauvignon Blanc – New Zealand
- Sauvignon Blanc – South African
- White Burgundy – French
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Wines With A High Alcohol Content (Abv) Of 14.5 Percent Or More
These wines are the booziest of the lot, with the greatest alcohol level. Many of them are from warmer climates, such as Australia, California, and Chile, where grape skins receive ample of sugar-producing sunlight. Furthermore, many of them are fortified wines, which contain a distilled spirit producing a much higher ABV alcoholic beverage.
- Cabernet Sauvignon – Australian; California; Chilean
- Merlot – Australian; California; Chilean
- Shiraz – Australian
- Syrah – California
- Zinfandel – California
- Fortified Wines
- Madeira – Portuguese
- Marsala – Sicilian
- Muscat – French
- Sherry – Spanish
Summary: Alcohol In Wine?
It’s been said before: a glass of wine a day is excellent for your health. However, you may be curious as to the amount of alcohol in that glass of wine. The usual serving of wine in the United States is 5 ounces, which contains roughly 12 percent alcohol. However, because there are so many various kinds of wine, not every glass is created equal.
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Your single serving will be smaller if you’re drinking wine with higher alcohol by volume (ABV). In contrast, if you’re drinking anything with low alcohol content, a larger pour equals one serving.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do red wines tend to have a higher average alcohol content than white wines or sparkling wines?
A: In general, red wines have a higher alcohol content than white wines or sparkling wines. This is because red grapes are allowed to ferment for a longer period of time, which results in higher levels of ethanol.
