Your (occasionally) weekly look at some of the news in the mead, wine, and craft beverage industry – distilled down to the good stuff by the folks at St. Ambrose Cellars.
What Percentage Are You Actually Drinking?
We’ve all woken up with a headache and found something other than ourselves to blame. What if I told you … you might have been right?
It might not be off by much, but your wine bottle might be off just a bit on the ABV of the product. According to a study published in the Journal of Wine Economics, which tested more than 91,000 bottles tested from all over the world, the vast majority inaccurately listed the alcohol content. In most cases, 57.1 percent, the bottles were boozier than their labels said. Another 32.2 percent of the bottles contained less alcohol than listed.
And that’s absolutely legal. Here in the United States, laws allow wines with less than 14% ABV to by off by 1.5% on their label, and wines with more are allowed a 1% leeway. This makes a lot of sense, in reality, as the percentage can vary slightly between batches and tanks. You can read more here.
Former Wolverine Winning in Wine
You might remember Charles Woodson as the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy during his legendary career at the University of Michigan. Or perhaps you remember his exceptional NFL career and Super Bowl triumph with the Green Bay Packers. But soon, you might be remembering him for his wine. Woodson has been involved with wine-making for several years, and you can learn more about his adventures here.
Watson the Winemaker
Remember Watson, the IBM Supercomputer that took on Ken Jennings in Jeopardy? Well, he’s gotten into the wine game too now. Will Watson replace human winemakers and usher in the Age of the Machines as a boozy SkyNet? Should we stockpile goods for his inevitable conquering of mankind? Find out here.
Michigan Mead Laws
You can learn about the movement afoot to help Michigan mead-makers reduce red tape and out-dated laws in this article from the Detroit Free Press.