According to some market research conducted in recent years, it has emerged that the average consumer, when faced with an increasingly rich selection of wine bottles on supermarket shelves, chooses based on packaging if they lack the necessary skills to distinguish a quality product from another. Bottle, label, color, information. Not only does Mr. Mario Rossi stop at appearances, but he is also influenced by them, obviously on a subconscious level.
One of the characteristics considered when purchasing a bottle of wine is the alcohol content. This is especially true when looking at the younger target audience, who interpret a high value as a high probability of having “fun” (with the risk of being disappointed because understanding a wine label still requires some basic knowledge).
But what exactly does the number preceding the “%” symbol on the label mean?
Alcohol content: definition
The alcohol content represents the volume of alcohol, expressed in milliliters, contained in a deciliter of a given beverage. Also called the alcoholometric rate, it represents the number of parts by volume of pure alcohol contained in 100 parts by volume of the product, at a temperature of 20 °C. For this reason, it is expressed as a number followed by “%Vol”.
Alcohol content: taste
After reading and understanding it, let’s see how to enjoy it. Alcohol, on the palate, immediately gives a sensation of warmth that enhances the wine’s smoothness. If the wine is well-balanced, the sensation is one of enveloping warmth, harmonious and well-integrated with both the structure and body of the beverage itself.
It’s important to remember that the immediate perception of alcohol on the palate depends on how well the alcoholic component is balanced with the other components of the wine, not on the high value of the alcohol content itself. This means there are wines that, despite having a relatively high rate like 13%, do not appear “alcoholic” when tasted because the acidity, structure, body, and tannins are perfectly balanced.
Alcohol content makes 13: two examples from Puglia and Abruzzo
This is the case with Terre del Crifo Nero di Troia, the quintessential red wine from Puglia. As the third stronghold of the region’s wine production, it is made on the limestone hills of the Murgia from the best grapes of one of the most robust and characteristic local vineyards. With its intense red color, it has an alcohol content of 13%, perfect for a dinner with friends featuring grilled meat paired with autumn flavors.
A wine with similar characteristics is certainly Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC. With its balanced taste, a slight hint of tobacco, and an alcohol content averaging 13%, it presents itself as balanced on the palate, thanks to its pronounced yet harmonious tannic texture. This red also pairs very well with red meat and aged, salty cheeses, perfect for the cold seasons.
Alcohol content: the evolution in the EU between trade and health consciousness
Despite the alcohol content being one of the key players in the wonderful “balance” of characteristics that give life to the best wines, from the document circulated in mid-2021 at the European Union’s Council of Agriculture Ministers, it seems there are reasons of international trade and health protection that could prevail over the wine culture as we know it today. In it, two proposals immediately denounced by Coldiretti emerge: the first allows for the possibility of de-alcoholizing wine (i.e., completely or partially reducing the alcohol content) through mechanical filtration, the second to add water – yes, water – to wine.
Although the bureaucratic process is still in its early stages, the fears of a “zero alcohol” evolution are certainly more likely for the table wine category. To protect quality wine lovers, in Europe there is the “safety net” of wine denominations of origin whose regulations, rightly strict, currently require a minimum alcohol content below which that particular wine cannot boast its specific denomination.
