Wine Sweet or Dry ? Here is how to choose.

Ever gone into the wine store looking for something to take home and been confronted with an bewildering array of labels, only to be so confused as to drop your intentions and run screaming back to the beer section? There's something very comforting about the simplicity of labels bearing the words "lager" and "ale."

However, among the many incomprehensible terms on wine bottles, there is one number, present on all bottles of wine, that tells the whole story: the alcohol level. It's the number with the percent sign next to it. It's often in fine print, tucked away at the edge of the label, but it's always there, and with a little knowledge you can discern many things about the wine the bottle contains.

Such as sweetness. Most grapes, when ripe, contain 20 to 25 per cent sugar. When the yeast gets in there and starts converting that sugar to alcohol, it converts each per cent of sugar into just over half a per cent of alcohol. So a grape harvested at 25 per cent sugar, or as we say "25 Brix," will make a wine, if all the sugar is allowed to be converted into alcohol, of 13 to 14 per cent alcohol. A grape picked at 20 per cent sugar will make a "dry" wine of about 11 to 12 per cent alcohol.

If, however, the winemaker wants a sweeter wine, she will often "stop" the fermentation, by killing the yeast with a preservative, called "sulphur dioxide," before before all of the sugar is converted to alcohol. How can you tell? The alcohol level is lower. So if you see a wine with an alcohol level at, say, 10 per cent or less, expect it to be sweet. On the other hand alcohol levels over 12 per cent indicate the wine is dry, or not sweet.

The alcohol level will also tell you about the acidity of wine. As sugar levels rise in the grape, acid levels fall. Wines with lower alcohol levels are often more acidic, or "crisper" than those with higher alcohol, which are referred to as "softer," or, sometimes, "flabby." Acid is a crucial part of a wine's flavour. Acid combines with the foods served with the wine to break down food substance and elevate food flavours. Wines higher in acids (and, of course lower in alcohol) will be more "food friendly," whereas their lower acid (and higher alcohol) counterparts will not enhance the flavours of the foods served with them successfully. So if you are shopping for a wine to serve with supper, look for one with an alcohol level below 13 per cent, and you'll have greater success.

Alcohol level will even tell you a bit about what the wine tastes like. First of all, alcohol on its own tastes a bit sweet. Hence the attraction of vodka. That means higher alcohol wines will taste slightly sweeter, even though they're technically dry. Couple that with lower acids and you have the formula for many Australian wines, including the ubiquitous Yellow Tail, North America's best-selling wine.

Also the alcohol level tells you how ripe the grapes got, which has a huge effect on how the wine will taste. As grapes ripen, they pass through several phases of flavour. At lower sugar levels, white grapes emphasize the citrus flavours--lemon, lime and grapefruit, while reds exhibit rhubarb and cranberry. As they get riper, expect whites to move into tree fruit flavours--apple and pear--then stone fruit such as peach and apricot. The reds move into berry flavours--raspberry, strawberry and blackberry. In their final stage of ripeness, white grapes start to show tropical fruit from pineapple to passion fruit. Reds at their ripest begin to show plum, then prune and raisin. So the alcohol level will give you a fair idea of how the wine will taste.

Alcohol levels are actually a very controversial topic in the wine world. For centuries the French made the best wine in the world and it HAD to be 12.5 per cent. Any higher and they were forced to water the wine down. Now, with advanced grape-growing techniques and yeasts bred specifically to endure the poisonous atmosphere of high alcohol, big reds from California and Australia routinely top 14.5 per cent, and some California Zinfandels hit 16 per cent.

This alcohol inflation has caused a backlash among wine-drinkers who feel the alcohol dominates the flavour profile and makes wines that do not pair well with food. It really doesn't matter where you stand on this debate but it all stems from knowing the alcohol level of the wines you are drinking.

Because finally, and most important, the alcohol level will tell you how intoxicated you will get. There's a great deal of difference between a glass of crisp white wine and a rich red, sometimes up to 4 per cent alcohol. That will have a huge effect on even the 200-pound guy, let alone the 110-pound woman. So check the fine print before you drink. It might save you from embarrassment at the party.

Cheers!

Keith Watt

Keith is the owner and winemaker at Morning Bay Vineyard and Estate Winery on Pender Island, BC