[wine] Alcohol creep and 5 bargain bottles

FYI Alcohol content is tricky to label By Dave McIntyre, Published: August 6 .Would it be possible for you to include the alcohol content of the various wines that you review?. wrote William Byxbee of Charles Town, W.Va. .I have noticed over the years a definite trend towards increased percentages of alcohol, especially in some whites and ros�s that typically were low in alcohol and thus refreshing and drinkable. Now I see some in the 13-14.5 percent range. If you include this detail, I.m sure you will be giving your readers more options as they decide what wines to try.. Laments about .alcohol creep. are increasingly common. The phenomenon has been apparent in the past 20 years, especially in New World wines. Several factors are credited or blamed for the trend, depending on your perspective. Improved vineyard techniques enable vintners to ripen grapes more consistently to higher sugar levels. Commercial yeasts are more efficient at converting grape sugar to alcohol. Indicators of ripeness and when to harvest have expanded from mere sugar levels to include the suppleness of the grape skins and the color of the stems and seeds; both of those factors are ideal only at higher sugar (and therefore alcohol) levels. Global warming might even contribute. Wine critics have been blamed for awarding high scores to more powerful, riper wines. And those wines have been popular. Alcohol starts as sugar, after all, and lends an impression of sweetness to the finished wine. We Americans are notorious for our sweet tooth. This is not an insignificant trend. Simple math tells us a wine with 15 percent alcohol is 25 percent stronger than a 12 percent wine. That can add up over the course of an evening. Readers of this column know that I advocate a more elegant, restrained style of wine with moderate alcohol. Some blockbuster wines can work, but those are rare and not easily imitated. All too often, the alcohol skews the wine off-balance and leaves a .hot. impression on the palate. Even so, I have been hesitant about including alcohol levels in my reviews for two reasons. First, I want to encourage you to try various wines outside your comfort zone. I don.t want to give you excuses to judge them before you try them. Second, the alcohol level stated on a wine label isn.t necessarily accurate, a byproduct of federal regulations that have less to do with how we drink than with taxation. Wines between 7 percent and 14 percent alcohol are considered table wines, taxed at $1.07 per gallon, or about 21 cents per standard 750-milliliter bottle. However, there is a 1.5-percentage-point leeway, provided the wine doesn.t exceed 14 percent . meaning a wine labeled 12.5 percent could be as high as 14 percent. Wines at 14.1 percent or higher are considered dessert wines and taxed at $1.57 a gallon, or 31 cents per bottle. (There are other tax categories for wines and spirits over 21 percent alcohol, and all sparkling wines are taxed at $3.40 a gallon, or 67 cents per bottle.) For levels over 14 percent, wineries have a labeling leeway of 1 percentage point, meaning that your 16 percent zinfandel could clock in at anywhere between 15 percent and 17 percent. .The alcohol range leeway allows the government to decrease the number of labels submitted for approval and lowers the regulatory burden on small wineries,. says Michael Kaiser, communications director for WineAmerica, a national winery trade association. He gave the hypothetical example of a Virginia cabernet franc that attains 13.4 percent in 2010 but only 12.6 percent in 2011; the winery would not have to submit a new label for federal approval simply because of that change. The flexibility in the regulations helps wineries deal with the vagaries of vintage variation, as long as alcohol levels stay within a certain range from year to year. But from a truth-in-labeling standpoint, the alcohol level on the label is less helpful to us consumers. Even so, beginning this week I will include the label.s alcohol content in my reviews. Think of it as an indicator of style, not quality. And please don.t use it to calculate your blood alcohol level. McIntyre blogs at dmwineline.com. On Twitter: @dmwine. More from Food: Wine Bargain-priced summer wines to try By Dave McIntyre, Published: August 6 Bargain Bottles ...Exceptional ...Excellent..Very Good Availability information is based on distributor records. Wines might not be in stock at every listed store and might be available at additional stores. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor. Here are my monthly recommendations of wines that overperform for the price. These selections cost between $9 and $15, and all are .Great Values.. Beginning today, my weekly list will specify the alcohol content of each wine. Louis Latour Bourgogne Gamay 2011 .. Beaujolais, France, $15 Bourgogne Gamay is a new appellation controllee with the 2011 vintage. The grapes must be grown in the cru villages of Beaujolais, but they do not have to be entirely of the gamay variety. This wine is 15 percent pinot noir, which makes it a nice .bistro wine. for casual dining, with earthy qualities for extra interest. Alcohol content: 13 percent. M Touton Selection: Available in the District at Capital City Wine & Spirits, Capitol Hill Wine and Spirits, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits. Available in Maryland at Bay Wine & Spirits in North Beach; the Bottle Shop in Potomac; Bradley Food & Beverage and Cork 57 Beer and Wine in Bethesda; Dawson.s Liquors in Severna Park; Franklin.s Restaurant, Brewery and General Store in Hyattsville; Greenbelt Co-op; Hair o. the Dog in Easton; Old Farm Liquors in Frederick; Port of Call Liquors in Solomons; Quench! Beer-Wine-Deli in Colesville; Silesia Liquors in Fort Washington; Village Pump Liquors in College Park. Branger Le Fils des Gras Moutons Muscadet Sur Lie 2012 .. Loire Valley, France, $14 Citrusy and refreshing, this is a .food wine.: Don.t sip it by itself on the patio, but pair it with raw oysters, seafood salads or other light fare, and it won.t let you down. Alcohol content: 12 percent. Vintage 59/Country Vintner: Available in the District at Arrowine and Spirits, Rodman.s; on the list at all Clyde.s locations, Old Ebbitt Grill, Ris, Rappahannock Oyster Bar. Available in Maryland at Silesia Liquors in Fort Washington. Available in Virginia at Arrowine and Cheese in Arlington. Paul Jaboulet A�n� Parall�le 45 Ros� 2011/2012 .1 / 2 Rhone, France, $12 This reliable C�tes du Rh�ne producer makes a nice ros�, too: a blend of grenache, cinsault and syrah. Pale in color and racy in acidity, it is an ideal summer aperitif or partner to lighter foods. The local distributors are transitioning from the 2011 to the 2012; either is a good bet. The younger offers extra freshness, the older a bit more complexity. Alcohol content: 13 percent. Southern/F.P. Winner (Availability information unavailable for the District and Maryland, but this label often appears in supermarkets.) Virginia Imports: Available in Virginia at Harris Teeter (Arlington, Ashburn, Gainesville, Manassas, Reston, Warrenton), Metro Cafe & Gourmet in Arlington; on the list at La Creperie and Ristorante Murali in Arlington, Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro in Reston. Honoro Vera Garnacha 2012 .1 / 2 Calatayud, Spain, $10 The somewhat disturbing label art on the bottle introduces a brooding example of garnacha. The category has become known for cheap, fruity Spanish reds; this one is more subtle and serious, though still a tasty dram for the price. Alcohol content: 14 percent. Country Vintner: Available in the District at De Vino.s, D.Vines, Rodman.s, Yes! Organic Market. Available in Maryland at Georgetown Square Wine and Beer in Bethesda, I.M. Wine in Fulton, Old Line Fine Wine, Spirits & Bistro in Beltsville, Rodman.s (Wheaton, White Flint). Available in Virginia at all Wegmans and Total Wine & More locations. Domaine Ferrer Ribi�re F Blanc 2012 .1 / 2 C�tes Catalanes, France, $9 The C�tes Catalanes, along the southern coast of France near the border with Spain, produce lively, unpretentious white wines, including this sprightly bottling with accents of ginger and jasmine. Alcohol content: 13.5 percent. Dionysus: Available in the District at A. Litteri, Chat.s Liquors, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, Cork & Fork, Rodman.s. Available in Maryland at Bradley Food & Beverage and Cork & Fork in Bethesda, Mom.s Organic Market (Rockville); on the list at Sushiko in Chevy Chase. Available in Virginia at Culpeper Cheese Co., Mom.s Organic Market (Alexandria, Herndon, Merrifield), Unwined (Alexandria, Belleview), Whole Foods Market (Charlottesville). More from Food: Wine Measuring .alcohol creep. 5 Russian River Valley wines to try -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55417 * * james(a)brewingnews.com James.Ellingson(a)StThomas.edu *