About Wine Alcohol Content
Alcohol in wine is measured differently than alcohol in beer. In the table below you will see grams of alcohol and corresponding percent alcohol ranges. Keep in mind the following when reviewing the table: 100 grams (g) of wine is equivalent to 100 milliliters (mL) or 3.4 fluid ounces (fl oz.) of wine. 10.6 g of alcohol in 3.4 fl ounces is 13% alcohol by volume.
Ranges and average values taken from hundreds of popular wines are provided in the table below:
| Type | Grams/100ml | % Alc by Vol |
| Sparkling Grape Juice | trace | < 0.1% |
| Wine Coolers | varies | 4–7% |
| Table Wine general | varies | 8-14% |
| Claret | varies | 6-10% |
| Shiraz | varies | 10-14% |
| Rose | 8.6 | 10.5 |
| White, medium | 8.7 | 10.7 |
| White, dry | 9 | 11.0 |
| Red, medium | 9.4 | 11.5 |
| White, sparkling | 9.8 | 12.0 |
| White, sweet | 10.1 | 12.4 |
| Barley Wine | 10.2 | 10–15% |
| Cabernet, Pinot Noir | varies | 11–14% |
| Dessert Wine | varies | 14-20% |
| Zinfandels | varies | 17-22% |
| Vermouth | varies | 17-22% |
| Syrahs | varies | 17-23% |
| Port Wine | varies | 20% |
It should also be noted that the alcohol content of individual wines vary even among the same vintage due to the subtle differences in the fermentation process. Some wine connoisseurs can detect these differences when opening a new bottle of the same wine. US law permits a 1.5% variance from the ABV printed on the wine label.
Many requests have come into AlcoholContents.com to make an extensive individual wine list of alcohol contents similar to our beer list. This is currently a work in progress. Unfortunately there are just way more private wineries and wine labels out there to capture than the quantity of breweries. We hope to soon have a database that is comparable to our beer list however.
A recent blog illustrated just how many obscure wine labels there are. The top prize in the “Wine Labels with Unusual Names” category went to Fat Bastard Chardonnay. Interestingly, there is a similar label for a Scotch Style Ale on the beer list. Honorable mentions include a Spanish red wine called “Scraping the Barrel” and two French red wines whose names you’ll have to see for yourself. Our personal favorite though was a red Zinfadel called Cardinal Zin which was banned in Ohio due to the illustration on the wine label.
The alcohol content of wine is usually easy to find on the bottle. You can often see it in the picture of the wine label. If not, please refer to our table above to get the approximate alcohol content range.
Give the Gift of Wine
Wine makes a great gift. For a more formal event its best to give wine in Gift Baskets. Wine racks also make great wedding gifts.