The fact that the numbers on the label aren’t exact doesn’t mean there’s no correlation. Are you suggesting if you took a lineup of 100 wines, with half labeled 12.5%, and the other half 15%, that the ones labeled 15% wouldn’t - on average - have a higher ABV in lab tests?
To be clear, I am in fact inclined to agree people put too much weight on ABV. But that doesn’t mean the numbers are meaningless.
im not suggesting that.
what im suggesting is the infatuation that some have with labeled alcohol is pretty goofy.
and a great way to take the fun out of wine.
Maybe I’m a lightweight, but as I’ve gotten older my body feels 14.5% abv a lot faster, usually by the end of the first glass. That’s what takes the fun out of it for me.
I wonder if you’d perceive it the same way if you didn’t know the number on the label. The extra amount of alcohol in one glass of wine that is 1% ABV different is really tiny.
I don’t mean any offense or to claim you’re not being sincere, but as we know from all other forms of blind tasting, the taster can be heavily influenced by seeing the label beforehand. Seems at least possible it could be in this way too.
I had a sentence about that, but deleted it.
This includes blind tastings, and is irrespective of the variety, region, mouthfeel, etc. I’ve gotten pretty good at guessing the listed abv once it hits ~14.2%.
super interesting! many years ago, i paid to have one of your old portfolio wines to be analyzed for alcohol and brett. the brett was … very high. at the time, that producer was one of my largest holdings and loved the wines, so this was an interesting exercise.
how many people have done this??
A post-swallow exhale doesn’t lie. I assume everyone has a slightly different threshold, but at some point, the breath will feel hot. That point is low to mid-14’s for me. I also drink virtually no liquor, so perhaps a whiskey or martini drinker would have a higher threshold before they noticed.
Here’ the interesting and challenging thing about something like brett - are they measuring live cells or just total cells? If live cells, this will also tell you the potential for further blooms should the conditions favor it. And there are different chemical markers for brett - usually 4-ethyl guiacol and 4-ethyl phenol. So depending upon which marker you have, the wine may have a more marked band aid smell or ‘barnyard’ smell . . .
But even with all of that, just because a wine has a high brett count does not mean that it will necessarily smell ‘bretty’ - depends upon your threshhold, your like or dislike of specific smells, and your expectatoins.
Cheers
I agree with you somewhat - any ‘picture clue’ will definitely cloud our ability to look up something truly objectively.
That said, I do believe that alcohol levels that are on the lower or higher side with most varieties will imply a style - and winemaker ‘intent’. If you see a 12.5% pinot, your expectation will be different than a 15.5% pinot. Does it mean that wine will not be ‘balanced’? Not at all - it just comes down to preference and expectations.
Cheers
Fascinating! I have never considered that as a possibility. I just know the way my head begins to feel about 5 ounces into the first 14+% glass. Maybe my breath is giving it away.
good and balanced are synonymous. alcohol doesn’t have to play into it. just like pH or any other arbitrary metric.
And also both are truly subjective . . . though pH is not
Cheers
Yaacov,
Yes, the producer in question is famous (or infamous) for brett. As others have pointed out, brett itself is extremely complicated… dead or alive, which iteration(s) in what percentages?
But while I’ve had wines tested for alcohol and for TCA (and related molecules), I’ve never tested for brett. Almost by definition, aficionados of that particular producer are tolerant of it and I have only had that one producer for whom it has been an issue.
yes, it’s all coming back to me.
Not necessarily. Good often is balanced, but balanced does not mean its good.
Exactly and I don’t think anyone else has ever heard of them outside of us and people who read the article.
Go Bordeaux, for the honesty in labels!
Good and balance are both subjective. I don’t find balance or goodness in 16% wines.
the sky is blue
you and many others. again the sky is blue.
if i like a pH above 3.85 and find that to be in balance, and someone likes a pH that rips the enamel off their teeth, who is correct?
answer: neither lol. it’s subjective.
again, making wine a math project is for losers.