US Winemakers Seek To Reduce Alcohol Content

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 1-11-2008 | Tom Leonard

[Billthedrill]

Zoot allors! But, monsieur, zat is how one judges ze quality of ze wine - one reads ze alcohol content from ze label and sniffs ze screwcap. Ah, ze bouquet! I am picking up blackberry, pepper, and just a hint of ze furniture varnish. Ze legs! Ze finish! Ze [sound of BtD falling off his chair]

[Continental Soldier]

I am glad to learn that there is a backlash against high alcohol wines. When I started drinking wine with my dinner, many, many years ago, the alcohol content by volume for quite good French clarets was 11.5%. With the marketing of California wines, the alcohol content went up, way up. Today, even the French (who still make the best clarets in the world) have increased alcohol content to 13.5% Why? Practically speaking, wine with dinner should be enjoyed liberally, but the higher alcohol content makes such enjoyment impossible — unless, of course, you don’t mind falling off your dinner chair and chasing your tie around the floor with your tongue.

[SamAdams76]

Observations on the linear distribution and size composition of Bulinus populations in the canals of central Iraq indicate that molluscicides might most suitably be applied in May before the entire snail population reaches breeding size, or early in November when most snails are juveniles. However, laboratory experiments appear to show that isolation of individual bulinid snails does not diminish, but may actually increase, their egg-laying capacity in comparison with that of grouped snails; this suggests that, even if the snail population were drastically reduced by treatment of the canals and all further importation of snails rendered impossible, the snail population would nevertheless soon renew itself from the few individuals remaining.

[Night Hides Not]

Excellent Mosel Rieslings are usually in the 8-9% range.

[RightGeek]

Fourth from the right: