Wine might seem like it belongs in a separate category, but it is nonetheless in the general umbrella of alcohol-based
beverages. Wine may also be made with other fruits and grains, but the term wine refers specifically to beverages made from
grapes.
Wines that are not made with grapes include fermenting other crops, including rice wines and other fruit wines, such as plum,
cherry, pomegranate, currant, and elderberry. Wine is made by fermenting the juice from grapes or other fruits, such as
apples (ciders), cherries, berries or plums. The difference between two popular beverages, wine and beer, is that brewing
beer involves the fermentation of grains.
Wineries ferment grapes to produce wine, while beer-breweries ferment barley, wheat, and other grains to produce beer. These
grapes contain more sugars than those used for white wine, so fermentation results in higher concentrations of alcohol. Sweet
wines are produced when fermentation is stopped before all of the grapes sugar has been converted into alcohol.
RosA(c) wines are fermented from the grape juice, which has been in contact with the grape skins for a brief time. Rose wines
(or RosA(c)) are on the color spectrum in between red and white wines, with a medium alcohol content of 12 percent ABV. At
about 13% average alcohol by volume (ABV), wine is not the strongest type of alcohol, but should still be consumed sparingly.
While the standard serving of wine is 5 ounces, typically containing between 11-13% alcohol by volume,2 not all wines are
created equal.2 The same goes for the quantity of alcohol that is poured, both in restaurants and at home with friends. These
amounts are dependent on alcohol by volume, and many beers, wines, and spirits fall outside of that standard.
Whether you are having craft beer, a mixed drink, or glasses of wine from the distillery, it is important to know the
differences between the type of alcohol you are having and the serving size in order to determine the percent of alcohol by
volume (ABV). A standard beer, whether a lager or an ale, is about 4% to 6% ABV, though some beers are higher or lower in
alcohol. While wines and spirits do contain alcohol, they differ in their amount or alcohol proof.
Wine chillers are significantly lower alcohol than most other wines, coming in between 4-6% ABV on average. In many places
that serve wine coolers, malt liquor is used to avoid the excise tax on the wine, maintaining an alcohol content.
Many bartenders are able to get a nice tip with wines over 10% ABV as long as they are knowledgeable about wine sales. Wine
does not need to be expensive to be tasty or to be heavy on alcohol. If you like wine, but you do not like worrying about
alcohol in what you are sipping, then certainly, wine is an alcohol-free option for the wine-loving person.
The non-alcoholic industry continues to grow options of beers, spirits, and wines that you can try, and they taste exactly
like the real deal. For centuries, people have consumed alcohol-based beverages, like beer and wine, in order to alter their
feelings. Beer and red wine are almost tied f
or the most consumed alcoholic beverages in America today.
In both barley and rice wines, the term “wine” is used for similarities in the amount of alcohol, not for production
processes. There are various types of wines; various varieties of grapes, strains of yeast used, regions, alcohol contents,
etc. Non-European wines are generally classified by the types of grapes used; e.g., Merlot vs. Point Noir.
Natural, or unfortified, wines made with the grapes typically have an alcohol content between 8-14%; naturally produced wines
include wines like Bordeaux, Burgundy, Chianti, and Sauterne. Fortified wines, which add either alcohol or brandy, contain
between 18 and 21 percent alcohol; such wines include sherry, Port, and Muscatel.
Rieslings are also served in smaller serving sizes than other white wines because they retain high levels of sugar after
fermentation. Moscato white wines are lower in alcohol, ranging from 5-7 percent, whereas Pinot Grigio wines can be as low as
12-13 percent, while Chardonnay can be as high as 13-14.5 percent.
This added sugar also helps to reach the medium-high level of alcohol, although sweet-and-sour plum wines are lighter in
color. Dealcoholized wines are fermented, at which point ethanol is removed, but the polyphenols are retained.
The study found that one glass of wine is better than other types of alcohol because of its antioxidant properties. However,
an occasional glass of wine does indeed provide some positive health benefits, so wine is chosen by many drinkers instead of
other types of alcohol.
Notably, protective effects of red wine were substantial, irrespective of red wine volume, in subjects who typically reported
drinking alcohol 1 to 2 times more than recommended. Among subjects who typically reported alcohol consumption with higher
frequency, the lower risk for COVID-19 from the red wine and higher risk from the beer and cider were still significant, but
the protective role from fortified wine at 1 to 2 glasses/week was not significant. Our results suggest that certain alcohol
drink subtypes (e.g., wine) have a protective role for COVID-19 on their own, while certain subtypes increased COVID-19 risk
(e.g., beer and cider, and spirits).
Protective factors included current drinking-age, higher frequency, red, white, and Champagne wines, and fortified wines at 1
to 2 glasses/week; risk factors included drinking at levels both below and above recommendations, beer and cider (regardless
of quantity), and spirits (>=5 glasses/week). The quantity of alcohol consumed was quantified as weekly mean units of alcohol
consumed, calculated as a summary of the average weekly consumption of red wine (ID 1568), Champagne plus white wine (ID
1578), beer and cider (ID 1588), spirits (ID 1598), and fortified wine (ID 1608).