First off, is body the same as alcohol content? If so, then instead of
adding bananas to increase body, why not just add sugar? If body is not
the same as alcohol content, then what is it? Thanks in advance for any
comments.

Igor

That has not been my understanding. My thought is that body means "how the
wine feels/tastes in your mouth", not alcohol content. It is hard to
describe, but my fruit wines are light-bodied, no matter what the alcohol
content is. I've added bananas to give my fruit wines a more
"heavier/fuller" taste. I'm sure what little sugar is in the bananas will up
my alcohol content, but I like to taste the fruit which the wine is made out
of, not the kick of the alcohol. But everyone has their own taste.
Darlene

"Igor" wrote in message
ups.com...
First off, is body the same as alcohol content? If so, then instead of
adding bananas to increase body, why not just add sugar? If body is not
the same as alcohol content, then what is it? Thanks in advance for any
comments.

Igor

Hi Igor,
What I read once that clearly explained "body" and "mouthfeel" to me
was the comparision between different fat levels of milk. If you think
of skim milk it has a less rich taste and dissapears quickly from your
mouth. Compared to 2% or whole milk where there is more flavour and
thickness, that would be a fuller "body" or bigger "mouthfeel". I
thought it was a good description, hope it helps. Either way I would be
careful about adding bananas to wine.
Lisa Jones
RJ Spagnols

Igor wrote:
First off, is body the same as alcohol content? If so, then instead of
adding bananas to increase body, why not just add sugar? If body is not
the same as alcohol content, then what is it? Thanks in advance for any
comments.

Igor

I've just finished reading A Very Good Year (a very good book, btw),
and there was a mention there of some UC Davis research that each wine
has an optimum alcohol level at which the body is at its fullest. Any
way you move from that with alcohol, up or down, will decrease the
body.

Pp


Igor wrote:
First off, is body the same as alcohol content? If so, then instead of
adding bananas to increase body, why not just add sugar? If body is not
the same as alcohol content, then what is it? Thanks in advance for any
comments.

Igor

A fuller body generally makes you feel full, too. If you drink beer at
all there is a huge difference between the body of an oatmeal stout and
an american light beer.

Body is generally described as the "mouthfeel".

In my experience, alcohol is the major contributor to body, but it is
not the only one. The viscosity of the wine (i.e. motor oil is more
viscous that water), glycerine content, and other factors contribute as
well.

I would say that if you are comparing 2 wines that are balanced, the
one with higher alcohol content will be the fuller-bodied one almost
every time. If the wines aren't balanced, then a higher alcohol wine
can "feel" thinner and less viscous than a lower alcohol one.

The best way to learn how to distinguish body is to drink a lot of wine
with someone who is very knowledgeable about the subject...