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Sunday, September 28, 2008

Wine Alcohol Content Table

I have been wondering about whether I need to add more sugar to my Pinot Grigio to make it more robust; that is to say higher alcohol content. I want my wine to burn a bit and be a little astringent. 

This table is lifted in whole cloth from beekmanwine.com . The original source is truthinwine.com . 

Beekman rages about how the measured alcohol content is actually lower than the government standard, and that the additive levels are too high. I would want to know more about how the tests were run before I would say that. I am certain that the large mega-wineries know their alcohol content to the hundreth place, and that there is no product manager that wants to go to jail or wreck the reputation of the company by watering down the wine. 

  Alcohol Alcohol Sugar Sulfites Polyphenols Catechins Resveratrol
  Actual % Labeled % ppm. mg/gram mg/175g mg/liter
RED WINES TESTED              
Yellow Tail Merlot 11.1 13.5 0.5 103 3.26 102.4 2.00
Rosemount Shiraz 10.9 14 0.2 104 3.22   84.7 2.01
Columbia Crest Merlot/Cab 10.8 13 0   99 3.20   93.6 0.60
Clos du Bois Merlot 10.8 13 0 140 3.24   93.1 2.28
Blackstone Merlot 10.7 13 0.4 152 3.05 116.9 1.11
Beringer Founders Cab 10.5 13.3 0 198 3.62   83.6 0.39
BV Coastal Cab 10.5 13 0 122 3.40   69.5 0.43
Rodney Strong Cabernet 10.5 13.8 0 140 3.76   77.3 1.19
Concha y Toro Merlot 10.3 13 0.4 231 2.77   78.4 5.95

  Alcohol Alcohol Sugar Sulfites Polyphenols Catechins Resveratrol
  Actual % Labeled % ppm. mg/gram mg/175g mg/liter
WHITE WINES TESTED              
Woodbridge Chardonnay 11.2 13.5 0 224 0.41 58.3 0.14
Fetzer Chard 11.1 13.5 0.4 184 0.39 39.8 0.11
Kendall Jackson VR Chard 11.0 13.5 0.6 201 0.48 26.4 0.22
Ch. St. Michelle Chard 10.8 13 0.1 208 0.40 39.5 0.09
Lindemans Bin 65 Chard 10.7 13.5 0.3 241 0.52 58.9 0.34
Vendange Chard 10.7 13 0.6 215 0.39 34.6 0.29
Corbett Canyon Chard 10.7 13 0.6 174 0.36 27.9 0.09
Glen Ellen Chard 10.6 13 0.5 154 0.30 27.9 0.09
E & J Gallo Chard 10.6 13.5 0.7 153 0.27 15.4 0.09
Duboueuf Francais Blanc 10.4 12 0 287 0.47 28.5 0.29
Sutter Home Chard 10.0 13 0.9 205 0.42 36.1 0.09
Bella Serra Pinot Grigio   9.7 12 0.3 308 0.34 13.5 1.66
Bolla Soave   9.7 12 0.2 199 0.30 9.8 0.16
Cavit Pinot Grigio   9.6 12 0.4 276 0.35 14.4 0.09
Almaden Mt. Chablis   9.4 11.5 0.8 233 0.33 7.3 0.09
Franzia Chablis (5L box)   8.8 11 1.1 212 0.35 10.2 0.09
Livingston Cellars Chablis   8.4 10.5 1.1 240 0.33 10.7 0.09
Carlo Rossi Chablis   8.2 10.5 1.6 172 0.32 15.2 0.09

My Pinot Grigio should turn out at about 9.5% which is almost on top of the Pinot Grigio in the table. This does not include any alcohol that is already in the grape juice, which must be measurable. Based on this I will probably leave it alone. 

Having said that I would have expected Pinot Grigio at 11-12%.  I am a little tempted to add some apple juice concentrate for some fruity flavor and a little extra uumph. 




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