Why is testing for ethanol important in winemaking?

Ethanol is the principal organic by-product in fermentation and is crucial in the stability, aging and sensory properties of wine. Ethanol is created during the fermentation process by yeast consuming the sugar in the grapes which creates two by-products, Ethanol and Carbon Dioxide. Usually wine contains between 7-15% ethanol which is higher than most alcohols due to the higher concentration of sugar in grapes. The factors that control ethanol production in wine are: sugar content temperature and yeast strain.

Naturally abundant, quantitative determination of ethanol is important in the manufacture of intoxicating wines, beers and spirits. Ethanol testing is vitally important to obtain accurate ethanol measurements as all grades and qualities of most beers and wines are based primarily on the alcohol content in wine it is necessary for grading of the vintage with amounts exceeding >17.5% (v/v) indicating supplementation.

Randox Food Diagnostics offer multiple tests for wine analysis including ethanol on both the RX misano and the RX monaco.

Ethanol

For more information please contact us at: info@randoxfooddiagnostics.com