13 Apr 2005
The Hard Stuff Now Includes Wine

Hmmm ... this little gem of an article raises a couple of interesting points. First, the strange (but) true properties of numbers expressed as percentages:

Twenty-five years later, the 12 percent California wine seems as quaint as the gas-saving hatchback. Today, it's the rare bottle from California, red or white, that doesn't reach 14 percent alcohol. Many now hit 15, even 16 percent, a difference that may seem insignificant until you realize that a 15 percent bottle contains 25 percent more alcohol than one labeled 12 percent.

Which is completely accurate: a 1 liter bottle of wine at 12% alcohol by volume will contain 120 milliliters of alcohol , while one at 15% will contain 150 milliliters, or 30 milliliters more. And 30 is one quarter of 120...

Of course, this number could also be expressed as it is on the label: 15% versus 12%, or 3% stronger. But expressing it as "containing 25% more alcohol" makes it sound dramatically higher. This is a common technique used mostly by statisticians with an axe to grind. Betcha the author of this article longs for the days of 12% pinot noir.

The second interesting thing is the apparent return of a truly ancient practice:

Mr. Mondavi does not favor the higher-alcohol wines.
"To me a wine is a beverage to be enjoyed with a meal," he said. "These wines remind me of what my grandfather used to do with a big, heavy wine. He would add water, then drink it with his meal."

This is an ancient tradition: the Greeks nearly always mixed water into their wine, using a large vessel designed explicitly for the purpose called a krater. It'll be interesting to see if, with the return of very high alcohol wines, it makes a comeback on the American table.

Among California producers and those who follow wine closely, high-alcohol wines have provoked sharp debate.

(link) [NYT > Home Page]

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