🍷 Alcohol in wine
Ethyl alcohol made from sugar, usually 11–15 % of the wine's volume.
Alcohol in wine is ethyl alcohol, or ethanol. It forms during fermentation, when yeast turns the sugar of the grapes into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The more sugar in the berries, the more alcohol can result.
Most wines contain 11 to 15 percent alcohol by volume. In warm climates the berries are sweeter, so the strength is higher. In cool areas wines turn out lighter. Fortified wines are stronger because grape spirit is added to them.
The strength is shown on the label as a percentage by volume. Alcohol gives wine body: the more there is, the denser and “thicker” the taste feels. Because of alcohol, streaks stay on the glass, called the “tears” or “legs” of wine. Alcohol is also one source of the wine’s calories.
Ethanol is the same alcohol as in other alcoholic drinks. It affects the body: reaction, judgement and health. That is why wine is for adults only, taken in moderation and with care. Alcohol is not advised for pregnant women, drivers and people with certain illnesses.
What it includes
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Alcohol in wine ← contains ← 🍷 Wine
Links
- Previous step
- 🌿 Warm climate, 🍷 Body (wine), 🍷 Calories in wine
- Next step
- 🍷 Ethanol, 🍷 Wine label
- Where it is found
- 🍷 Wine
- What affects it
- 🍷 Tears of wine
- Part of
- 🍷 Wine taste and composition
Frequently asked questions
How much alcohol is in wine?
Most wines have 11 to 15 percent by volume, and fortified wines have more.
Where does the alcohol in wine come from?
Yeast turns the sugar of the grapes into alcohol during fermentation.
Where is the strength of a wine shown?
On the label, as a percentage by volume.
What to read next
- 🍷 Wine label — The sticker on a bottle: who made it, where from, the year and strength.
- 🍷 Calories in wine — A glass of wine has about 100–150 kilocalories, mostly from alcohol.
- 🍷 Body (wine) — The sense of a wine's weight in the mouth, from light as water to thick as cream.
- 🍷 Tears of wine — Drops running down the side of the glass; they come from alcohol, not quality.
Similar
🍷 Glycerol · 🍷 Polyphenols · 🍷 Tannins · 🍷 Tears of wine · 🍷 Acidity · 🍷 Body (wine)