You've no doubt noticed the ABV (alcohol by volume) number on a wine label. Some of us use this number to help select a wine to purchase. Unfortunately, that number can be misleading. There has to be flexibility in the ABV as labels are often printed before the actual percentage of alcohol is known. That allowable range is quite wide. Luckily, most winemakers are honest and usually the number on the label is very close to the actual number.
All information on the label is dictated and approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau of the federal government. Federal excise taxes are different for wines below and above 14% alcohol.
If the label lists ABV of 14% or lower, the winery only has to be accurate within 1.5%. So a wine labeled 12.5% could legally be 11% or 14%.
When the ABV is over 14% (where most American wine falls) the allowed margin for error is 1%. That means a wine labeled at 15.5% could be a drinkable 14.5% or 16.5%.
Why does this matter? Take your favorite varietal, and one at 14% will be totally different from one at 15.5%.
Wineries know some people will shy away from what they consider too much alcohol, so the they may go for the lowest legal number. Fifteen percent seems to be the cutoff for most consumers that use this number in purchasing decisions, as you tend to see a lot of wines labeled in the 14.8% or 14.9% that may actually be over 15%. This doesn't mean they are, but it seems a bit suspicious when I see that number.
As always, buyer beware.
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| 14.9% seems to be a pretty popular number |
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