Wine's Alcohol Percentage is Lying to You?

The title of this article from Wine Enthusiast is "Why a Wine's Alcohol-by-Volume is Lying to You." It should actually say might be lying to you. It's a good read on the variance allowed in the ABV number by the government. Wineries can use it to their advantage if the actual number might look bad. 

Wine Enthusiast Magazine on alcohol percentages. 

Why should you care? I expect most wine buyers don't think about it. However, there is a big difference in a wine that's under 14% vs. one that's over 15%, for instance. With such a wide range of alcohol percentages on the market, it's something I use in making a buying decision. I also expect the number to be based on what the weather and what the winemaker did, not marketing.

Take a look at random wine labels next time you're shopping American wines. You might be surprised how many are labeled xx.8 or xx.9%.  

I removed the winery name so not to pick on anyone particular.
I am saying 14.8 & 14.9% are popular numbers, as they sure sound better than
15.x% to some of us. Doesn't mean it's not 14.5 or 14.8 either.