Most wine-loving adults understand the presence of alcohol in our favorite beverage as a part of the wine experience. In moderation, alcohol adds to the pleasure of wine for most people. Moreover, it appears to be a necessary element in the aroma, flavor and, perhaps most important, textural qualities that we look for in fine wine. In excess, too much alcohol is bad, as hardly anyone will dispute. These are not matters to trifle with, and there's a good reason why most societies limit the sale of alcohol to adults who are presumably capable of making wise decisions.
Wines vary dramatically in their alcoholic content.
At the high end, some of the biggest New World Chardonnays and Zinfandels ferment out naturally at 15 percent or above, while powerful brandy-fortified wines like Port and some Sherries can reach 18 to 22 percent. The current Wine Lovers' Voting Booth topic, which will continue through Friday, April 27, asks whether the percentage of alcohol in a wine is a factor for most wine lovers when we make purchasing decisions. The first week's results indicate that about half of the wine lovers who have responded so far never consider a wine's alcoholic content, while 10 percent take it very seriously as a factor in almost all wine-buying decisions. For those accustomed to lightweight mass-market Valpolicella, this budget wine will come as a revelation. Very dark ruby in color, it breathes the full dried-cherry aroma that' s typical of this Northeastern Italian region's rustic reds.