Wine has been lauded for its health benefits as well as taste. However, it should be enjoyed in moderation, as it can contain up to twice the alcoholic content of beer. While information about alcohol by volume, or ABV, is usually included somewhere on the bottle itself, it is possible to determine the ABV by knowing what type of wine it is. This article will provide general guidelines for knowing your wine's ABV.
Instructions
Discovering the ABV
1. Check the wine bottle for the ABV measurement, which is given as a percentage that indicates how much of the liquid volume of the wine is actually alcohol. This percentage can be difficult to find; it can be spotted running vertically along the overlap of the label, along with information about the vintner or bottler, or in some other place. To save time, simply scan the bottle for the percentage symbol.
2. Know your variety. Even if information about the ABV is not included on an individual bottle of wine, it is possible to know the approximate alcohol content by knowing what type of wine it is. All wine falls within 8 to 22 percent ABV, while most wine is in the 10 to 14 percent range. Sparkling and table wines as well as rosés fall on the low end of the spectrum, containing as little as 8 percent alcohol by volume, while port contains 20 percent ABV. Fortified wine is wine to which alcohol has been added, and can contain up to 22 percent ABV.
3. Use these guidelines for red wine. Few if any red wines contain less than 12.5% ABV. Low-alcohol red wines include Beaujolais, Burgundy and Chianti. Shiraz (Syrah), Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Merlot all fall between 13.5 and 14.5 percent ABV, while the reds with the highest alcohol content include Petite Syrah and Zinfandel, at more than 14.5 percent ABV.
4. For white wines, use these guidelines: Muscadet and Riesling are two of the lightest whites, with 12 to 13 percent ABV, while Loire, Bordeaux, white Burgundy, Pinot Grigio (Gris), and Sauvigon Blanc contain up to 13.5 percent ABV. Among the heaviest hitters are the Chardonnays and California Sauvingon Blanc, which can contain up to 14.5 percent alcohol per volume. Few white wines contain a higher amount of alcohol than this, and those are fortified.
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