Different wines have different thresholds relating to their ability to handle the higher levels of alcoholic strength seen in modern wines, some of which are made at 15.5% and (well) above. These thoughts are general in nature, but typically reflect the point at which alcohol makes a strong, undeniable and entirely unwanted (in my view) contribution to the taste and texture of different varieties. However, I should state that I do occasionally encounter table wines that somehow manage to handle alcoholic strengths above these levels. Riesling can taste warm and spirity at anything over 12.5%. Its palate structure is typically flat, and alcohol levels above this tend to poke straight through. Chardonnay (in a Burgundian style) can be richer, more voluptuous and focused on the mid palate, which is where the effect of alcohol is felt. So it can mask the effect of alcohol to some degree. But I query anything over 14.0%. Sauvignon blanc handles somewhere between, around 13% at max, while semillon makes a more balanced wine at 12.5% or less. Cabernet sauvignon is typically leaner in the mid palate, where alcohol is most assertive. However, the warmer seasons likely to produce wines that are more alcoholic tend to develop more palate richness. Straight cabernets need to be pretty good and concentrated to handle over 13%, while the addition of merlot (with its mid-palate presence) enables blends to handle 14%. Beyond that, I frown. Shiraz and the other Rh̫ne varieties do have profound mid palate presence, especially in warmer, riper seasons. However, I’m still concerned at the number of ‘hot’ tasting shirazes with alcohols above 14.5%, which become noticeably hotter after a few years. I have yet to taste a shiraz at 15.5% or over that would not have been a better wine with less alcohol. Oddly, despite its not uncommon fragility, pinot noir can handle 13% alcohol or even slightly above with surprising ease.
