THE OUTCOMES
ALCOHOL
The Body and Warmth of Wine
Alcohol is created naturally during fermentation. As yeast consumes the grape's natural sugars, it produces alcohol and releases carbon dioxide. Alcohol contributes more than just strength it shapes the wine's body, texture, warmth and balance.
Think of alcohol as the weight of the wine. It helps determine whether a wine feels light and refreshing or rich and full.
Where does alcohol come from?
Alcohol begins in the vineyard. The riper the grapes become, the more sugar they accumulate — and more sugar allows the yeast to produce more alcohol during fermentation. Nature creates the opportunity; the winemaker decides how to use it.
What affects alcohol?
Both the Forces and the Choices play a role.
The Forces
- Climate
- Sunshine
- Vintage
- Grape variety
The Choices
- Harvest date
- Winemaking style
- Fermentation management
Warm regions generally produce grapes with more sugar and therefore higher alcohol. Cooler regions often produce wines with naturally lower alcohol.
Alcohol Scale
Light
Delicate, refreshing and easy to drink. Often found in sparkling wines, some Rieslings and lighter whites.
Moderate
Balanced and elegant, allowing freshness and fruit to remain the focus. Common in many cool-climate wines.
Balanced
The most common range for many premium wines — providing body without overpowering the wine.
Full
Richer and more generous, with greater weight and texture. Common in warm-climate reds and fuller whites.
Powerful
Bold, concentrated and warming. When balanced by fruit, acidity and tannin, remarkably complex and age-worthy.
Higher alcohol does not automatically mean greater quality. Some of the world's finest wines are naturally low in alcohol, while others are naturally high. The goal is always balance, where alcohol works in harmony with the fruit, acidity, tannin and texture. A wine should never taste alcoholic. It should simply feel complete.
Alcohol in Aurenloch
Alcohol is one of the outcomes of the vineyard and the winemaker's choices.
It adds body, carries aromas and helps create texture, but it is only one part of the whole.
A great wine is not judged by how much alcohol it contains, but by how well every element works together.
Alcohol gives a wine its weight. Balance gives it its beauty.