High Alcohol and Ripeness: Sugar, Not State

The standard

A separately stated alcohol figure stands alongside, not in place of, phenolic ripeness. Without a separately stated alcohol figure, a high alcohol content is wrongly taken as evidence of a well-developed wine.

Criteria

• The alcohol figure is derived from the sugar content at harvest
• It is stated separately from phenolic ripeness
• A high value is not equated with full ripeness
• A divergence between the two is named, not smoothed over

Distinction

High alcohol ≠ Phenolic Ripeness: the alcohol figure measures sugar concentration at harvest, phenolic ripeness the state of the tannins. High alcohol ≠ Climate change and maturity: this describes several ripeness axes across vintages, the alcohol figure a single measure.