I really don't get concerned with alcohol levels until you start seeing the 15% - 15.5% range of zinfandels. Even then there are producers that know how to build wines that handle the heat. If a wine maker can make a wine that is balanced so that the alc is an equal part of the wine then the wine is ok with me.

Some people are sensitive to it and that's fine - I just happen to feel that you can't judge a bottle by cover and one taste isn't really going to tell alot - a glass or 2 probably will. To me it says that if a wine maker takes what nature has given him and he produces a well balanced wine with high heat - I appreciate his talent even more and I'm likely to buy from them more.

Paul

I agree with Paul. Sometimes I only notice the alcohol level of the wine after I taste it. If its very well-balanced then I accept the fact that some wines can have high levels of alcohol but if they are unbalanced even a 12% or 13% alcohol in a wine can put me off..

I think balance is key.. Eventhough the average consumers are surely going for wines with less alcohol.. maybe cos they are more easy to drink.. I believe a good wine can't be jugded only by the alcohol indicated on the label..

I don't look at alcohol levels when buying wine; I'm guessing it is low on others buying criteria too. I don't believe in all this 'looking for low alcohol' vibe apparently doing the rounds.

Alcohol content doesn't influence my purchase. Here in the US, it is not unusual to find big Zins with up to 16% ABV. As other users mentioned, if the wine is balanced, alcohol doesn't hurt. I had wines with 13% alcohol content that were freaking hot.
In the US, for wines with max 14% ALC, the TTB currently allows a variation of 1.5% between the alcohol content on the label and the one of the wine. So, a wine showing 14% on the label might really vary between 12.5% and 15.5% alcohol content.

I forgot about the variable allowed for alc content, thanks for reminding me. I remember reading an article somewhere that the difference between 14% and !5% is about a shot's worth of alc. You really have to know your stuff to keep such a small amount in check. I admire a winemaker's that know their stuff. Good info, botto.

When I posted this question, I was curious to see if anyone would respond that if asked to choose between a wine with 12% or a wine with 14%, that they would pick the 14% wine because of a perception that the wine would be 'better', more wine, more full-bodied. I have met this attitude many times, and usually from the younger generation.

Re. alcohol% and labeling, Europe only allows 0.5% margin of variation. USA allows 1% if 14% or above, and 1.5% if below 14%. Australia as far as I remember allows a much smaller margin of inaccuracy, but the figure has escaped me, as we do not export to Oz!

The "old world" style of less alcohol has a varialble from anywhere from 11.5% to 12.5% or 13%. It is called "elegant", "soft", "rounded" even "austere". Why? Have you ever has the The Prisoner by Orin Swift? This is an elegant zinfandel blend. Check out it's alc. level. Right around 14%.

The point being this...what we were used to in 1997 and earlier was high point stuff for the technology and styles for the time. 12.5% was "hot" at that time...it's not now. I love a great bottle of wine that sits at about 12%. It's great for food and is easier for people to accept. It's more appealling. What we are seeing now in the cullinary field, is that they have been tweeking their efforts so that are cooking to match the "heat" in a well balanced wine.

No matter at 12% or 14.5% if it's not balanced, I won't like it and won't serve it with food. At least for me and the group of people I share wine and food with - more alcohol doesn't mean fuller bodied. "Full bodied" can occurr at any alc level.

About the message... I tend to prefer wines around 12,5% - 13%.