Why Some Wines Have A Higher Alcohol Content Than Others

You may have noticed that on some occasions a few glasses of wine can make you plain drunk, while other times they barely give you a light buzz. I can already hear my mum's voice saying 'it's because you drank on an empty stomach', but there's actually another explanation for this: Not all wines have the same alcohol content. Whether you're drinking natural wine or regular wine, each glass will have a different alcohol by volume (ABV). This is the amount of alcohol found in a glass, measured as a percentage.

The reason that some wines are more alcoholic than others usually comes down to the amount of sugar present in the grapes. The higher the sugar content of the grapes, the higher the wine's ABV will be. That being said, not all higher ABV wines will necessarily be sweeter, since the yeast converts most of the sugar to alcohol during the wine's fermentation process.

The sugar content across all of the grapes used can vary considerably. The type of grape used has a great impact on the wine's ABV since some grapes are naturally sweeter. Grapes that come from warmer regions (like Chardonnay and Syrah do) usually have more sugar which leads to stronger wines with an ABV of 15% or higher. Climate is another factor since harvesters from warmer regions can allow the grapes to ripen for longer before harvesting. The longer a grape ripens, the more sugar develops.

The fermentation process for wine will also impact its ABV, since this is when the sugar converts to alcohol. It's possible for wine makers to control the amount of sugar that is converted by stopping the fermentation process early or late, making the wine less or more alcoholic, respectively. Apart from affecting your level of intoxication, a wine's ABV also impacts the taste of the wine. Less alcoholic wines tend to have a sweeter taste as there is more sugar left over from the fermentation process, while more alcoholic wines will be more dry. Wines with lower ABV also tend to be lighter bodied, while higher ABV wines usually have a heavier feel. So for all of us lightweights, stick to lower ABV wines for occasions like a first date or office party  — unless you want a good story to tell the kids one day.