I tasted a wine the other day from a bottle with a label stating that the alcohol was 14.5 percent. It tasted like it was about twice that; my throat burn was so strong I sought antacids.
By definition, wine has alcohol. Without it, most nonalcoholic wines are thin and lackluster. Even the latest efforts are not particularly exciting.
Some wines are typically low in alcohol, but the lower you go, the more likely the wine is to retain a bit of sugar. Some German rieslings have alcohol levels in the 7 percent to 10 percent range, but most of them are fairly sweet.
It wasn’t until the late 1970s that a few wines, mainly reds, reached as high as 13.5 percent alcohol. The only exceptions were a few zinfandels that were in the vinous stratosphere at 14.1 percent or so. A handful of such wines came out that were called “late harvest.”
Today, later picking has resulted in more grape sugar. Since fermentation converts sugars into alcohol, alcohols now are regularly above 14 percent, and many are 15 percent. Since any wine over 14 percent alcohol can legally be a full point higher, I’m not surprised when I try wines that taste a lot more alcoholic than their labels state.
There are many ways to make lower-alcohol wines. One method is simply for the winery to add water. And it’s easier to add water today than it once was, since a 2002 ruling by the state of California eased controls on water additions.
Another idea is to use a machine to remove alcohol. Several different processes have been developed for this, including reverse osmosis and the use of a machine called a spinning cone.
Alcohol removal seems like it’s tinkering with nature, but alcohol has an aroma that covers wine flavors, which you can sense for yourself. Pour vodka into a glass and take a whiff. Since vodka is a neutral grain spirit, its aroma is light but still noticeable.
Since Dry January is over, some people have resumed consuming wine but are consuming less. The simplest way to reduce consumption is to add a teaspoon of water to your 5-ounce glass of wine.
Purists will say this is heresy, but I do it all the time. It really does not dilute the wine, and in some cases, it expands the aroma!
