baume in wine

[Mark S]

Not knowing much on the technical side - is 11 or 12 baume considered low? Can you have a rich syrupy wine such as a Rutherglen-like tokay or muscat with that level of baume, or given their strength/sweetness would the baume have to be much higher?

[mf]

I have no technical knowledge - so assume somebody else can give you a better response based on experience. However, your question made me want to check my Oxford Companion to Wine. From the information it povides, baume (being the "scale of measuring total dissolved compounds in grape juice, and therefore its approximate concentration of grape sugars") is useful for measuring potential alcohol level and you would expect grape juice of 11 Baume to produce a wine of about 11% alcohol (so for every 1 Baume, 1 per cent alcohol). Therefore seems 11 or 12 would be considered low and that given Rutherglen tokays/muscats have an alcohol level of 18% (or so) then you would expect grape juice with 18 Baume or above.

[Red Bigot]

I have no technical knowledge - so assume somebody else can give you a better response based on experience. However, your question made me want to check my Oxford Companion to Wine. From the information it povides, baume (being the "scale of measuring total dissolved compounds in grape juice, and therefore its approximate concentration of grape sugars") is useful for measuring potential alcohol level and you would expect grape juice of 11 Baume to produce a wine of about 11% alcohol (so for every 1 Baume, 1 per cent alcohol). Therefore seems 11 or 12 would be considered low and that given Rutherglen tokays/muscats have an alcohol level of 18% (or so) then you would expect grape juice with 18 Baume or above.

The famous Rutherglen Tokays and Muscats are fortified. The fermentation is stopped before all the sugar is converted to alcohol, thus the wines are sweet. Neutral grape-derived alcohol can be used to stop the fermentation and increase the alcohol content to the desired level. Other means such as sulphur dioxide or filtration may also be required as some yeasts these days can still live up around 18%, such as the stuff Smithy uses at Warrabilla, who produces dry reds with a/v 16%-18%. Some grapes destined for dessert wines or sweet fortified wines may be picked at over 20 baume. The 1:1 baume to a/v ratio is not exact, but near enough as a rule of thumb.
The baume level at picking will vary widely according to the type of grape and the style of wine being made, Hunter semillon may come in under 10 baume, sparkling whites tend to aim for 12-12.5% a/v, reds may be picked at anything from 13-18 baume for table wines.

[Mark S]

Thanks for that, mf & Brian - so leaving aside the artifical addition of sugar or similar processes, grapes picked at a relatively low baume like say 11, would make a 'regular' dry style wine, and couldn't really be made into anything syrupy, heavy or sweet?

[Waiters Friend]

Thanks for that, mf & Brian - so leaving aside the artifical addition of sugar or similar processes, grapes picked at a relatively low baume like say 11, would make a 'regular' dry style wine, and couldn't really be made into anything syrupy, heavy or sweet?

It depends on if the wine is allowed to ferment to dryness. Residual sugar (i.e. not fermented to dryness) is the factor here.

[Red Bigot]

Thanks for that, mf & Brian - so leaving aside the artifical addition of sugar or similar processes, grapes picked at a relatively low baume like say 11, would make a 'regular' dry style wine, and couldn't really be made into anything syrupy, heavy or sweet?

Mark, addition of sugar is not allowed in Australia, although I believe that can be circumvented by adding concentrated grape juice. If an 11 baume wine had fermentation stopped at 5-6% alcohol it would be a very low alcohol wine with some residual sugar therefore sweet to some degree. Wines for unfortified dessert wines, including botrytis styles would probably be picked at 18-20+ baume and end up with 11-14% alcohol, so the equivalent sugar for of 6-8% alcohol remains.