Many of you have already noticed some wines sneaking up over the 15% ABV mark. We’ve been here before. Whether you enjoy high-alcohol wines or not, it is a fact that many more countries are struggling to keep alcohol levels down due to climate change.

The South African wine industry has most recently expressed concern, with some proposing for legislation to be passed that will allow producers to water down grape musts. The idea is to give winemakers more flexibility and control over alcohol levels. As it stands, grapes are left hanging on the vines to achieve ripeness, but longer hang-time leads to higher alcohol levels in the final product.

As Decanter reported only last week, the South Africans may run into trouble when it comes to Europe, as it claimed international regulations would prevent the sale of wine within the EU made using grape must which has been diluted with water.

Question 18 of our National Wine Drinkers Survey asked the Irish wine drinker if they had a certain preference for alcohol level.

Only 3% of respondents had a strong position on alcohol, with 2% actively seeking out low alcohol wines, and half that number actively looking for high alcohol.

Almost 6 in 10 people didn’t care what alcohol was in a wine, provided the taste was right.

Of the different age groups, only the Over 60s stood out as actively selecting a particular alcohol level, with almost 7 in 10 choosing wines in the 11-14% bracket.

If more consumers worldwide adopted the Irish attitude, perhaps winemakers wouldn’t be so concerned. Saying that, there could well be a cultural shift in Ireland over the next few decades with a more moderate approach to drinking alcohol, and alcoholic content will naturally play its part in that.

How high is too high? A lively debate during last week had a number of our twitter followers tweeting about the strength of certain wines. “I’d suspect I’d only see one glass of that wine before passing out!” exclaimed @beckyclark in relation to a 16% ABV (Alcohol By Volume) red wine.

Now, if you’re unfamiliar with the term “balance” in wine speak, put simply, it is how well the components of the wine come together as a whole when tasted. To use an example, a wine that is sweet and fruity with very little acidity might be described as unbalanced, as the sweetness of the fruit without the acidity to back it up may taste sickly sweet. Likewise, a wine that is very high in alcohol without the fruit structure may be described as unbalanced, or hot. That “hot” element is the alcohol, and believe me, it’s unmistakeable on the palate.

A couple of weekends ago Mike and I tried a Shiraz from McLaren Vale. It was picked from a selection of South Australian reds, one of which carried a whopping 16% ABV. Perhaps the Irishman in both of us had made up our minds, or maybe we were just being curious. Either way, the wine with the highest alcohol would be getting a hammering.

I have to say, for a Shiraz at 16% ABV it managed to hide the alcohol very well, which I think is a sign of a good wine. It was more balanced than we expected, but we knew straight away this was a BIG wine. I had work the next day, so I limited my intake and took a mouthful of water for every sip of wine. Mike didn’t have to go to work the next day. His Saturday was fruitless to say the least.

So, again, how high is too high? For me, I don’t shy away from high alcohol wines. I’ve tried so many between the 14% and 15.5% mark that carry all the components, including the alcohol, incredibly well and I like big, “in your face” wines that naturally come with a high percentage. But without a doubt, caution is needed, especially if you have to work the next day. I say enjoy with a glass of water at hand and watch how much you drink as these should almost be treated as spirits in terms of strength.

From our Twitter debate, it would seem not to faze too many people, myself included. For others, they’re happy to stay well clear, but with global warming resulting in more alcoholic wines, they may soon prove difficult to avoid.

@forkncork: “Some 16 wines don’t show it. Depends on fruit , grape variety and how it’s made. Dilute or drink less?”

@oisin: “that’s too boozy – even 15% is kinda going over the top IMHO”

@grapesofsloth: “We’d lectures w / Martin Moran MW yes, he was saying the low-alcohol demand thing isn’t so strong in this country.”

@manicmammy: “Not from me, would prefer lower, that % would hit too hard. same reason I seldom if ever drink spirits. not pretty ;-(“