On 5/17/11 3:18 AM, Kent wrote:

> The alcohol content of wine is dependant on the percent of fermentable sugar
> in the grape, nothing else. Any wine with more than about 13-13.5% alcohol
> has been fortified in some way.

As others have explained, 'tain't so simple, Kent. The amount of
alcohol you get out depends also on the strain of yeast you use. While
14% ABV is pretty much the limit for your average s. cerevisiae, strains
have been isolated that can ferment as high as 17% (and many of those
are marketed to winemakers in CA who want to ferment high sugar musts to
dryness). In regions like the South of France, wines were exceeding 14%
even back in the mid-20th Century.

Mark Lipton

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