Letters: Why is French wine getting stronger every year?
Connexion reader notes that wines are frequently above 15% alcohol content
Summers have been getting drier and hotter, meaning a higher concentration of sugar in grapes at harvest times
Johan from Friesland/Shutterstock
To the Editor,
In your recent article entitled ‘Rosé: how a once-cheap wine became France's favourite’, there was no mention of how much the alcohol content has increased in recent years.
As we now regularly see wines of 15% and more, one wonders why?
An explanation would have been both interesting and welcome. We will soon be buying alcohol rather than wine!
John WILD, Hautes-Alpes
Editor’s note: It is true that recent years have seen French wines with higher alcohol content than the 12% that used to be the norm for most dry wines.
The reason is that summers have been drier and hotter than normal, meaning a higher concentration of sugar in grapes at harvest times. Fermentation turns sugar to alcohol, and so the alcohol levels are higher.
Winemakers have to juggle between picking too early, where grapes lack flavour, and picking too late, where they can give a ‘jammy’ taste to wine.
Most still pick as close to normal as possible, even though it means the wines have more alcohol.
High-alcohol reds often benefit from being chilled to 15C, or even lower, to stop alcohol swamping other perfumes.
