What does BRIX mean in wine culture?

Yes, we are not talking about laying bricks for your new home that is on hold because of all of the madness. We are also not talking about your buddy's basketball shot in high school that catching more air than Billy Bishop airport. Still thinking it might be that cinder block that one of the mafioso henchmen of Don Corleone used to have Frank Pentangli "swimming with the fishes" in Godfather Part II. (If you got that one, then you are a certified gangster flick lover!). 

Well, Brix in the vino world means of relating to the "Brix Scale". Ok, so move it on a little bit. What the heck is that? 

BRIX SCALE 

Hydrometer scale for sugar solutions so graduated that its readings at a specified temperature represent percentages by weight of sugar in the solution

MORE SPECIFICALLY  IN WINE 

Used to measure the level of sugar in unfermented grapes. Multiplying brix by 0.55 will yield a wine's future alcohol level.

Certainly important in the wine world because a difference in percentage can mean a completely different tasting wine and a different demographic. Moreover, if you are catering to a party where you have people driving and can only have one drink over a couple of hours, we must remember that a 17 percent wine can be the equivalent of 3 Canadian beers (and 18 Coors Light at a college football tailgate from the Keg!). 

GET THE DRIFT 

So for each gram of sugar that is fermented will turn into about .5 gram of alcohol. 

If you are one of those science whiz kids, 

IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY 

It is highly used in the food industry for measuring the approximate amount of sugars in fruits, vegetables, juices, wine and soft drinks.

Ever wonder why certain pop drinks are so bubbly and sugar filled at certain restaurant compared to others. Check the tanks! 

So next time you are talking with your favorite winemaker or wine sellers, ask them about their future vintages and ask about the Brix! 

CAPITALIZE OR CHAPTALIZE 

At the winery (if you are fortunate enough to do a wine tour when we an fly again) measuring the alcoholic potential of grape facilitates in determining whether they need to chaptalize (add sugar) in order to reach the minimum alcohol level defined by the region or appellation’s laws.

So when you are travelling with your family or loved one, remember to ask how aged the cheese is, what is the current Brix of the wine and whether they are going to chaptalize or capitalize! 

Lay low on the refined and processed sugars and keep the red wine flowing. Remember that blog we did on the health benefits of red wine, well, of course, you do. Keep it to a glass instead of the sugar filled pop so you can ripen that palette. Think of it as a reverse-chaptalization (is that a word or even a double barrelled phrase?). I guess it is now or kind of. 

Rolling the corks right along! Whether you are a pescatarian, vegetarian or fruitarians, we should all strive to be humanitarians at the end of the day! Or we end up chasing one fictitious ring down the gates of the Mordor (Lord of the Rings style!). 

So we hit all the ends of the spectrum with some gangster movie references and some sci-fi!! Let's not make any "offers they cannot refuse" because that only happens in movies or those eating cat food sitting in cells. 

Until our next basic cellular science class, let's try to use those phones less and make a little more conversations with our friends and loved ones. Life is short so let's never dwell on the refuse! Garbage and garbage out! Clout is built with a real foundation whether that be bricks or wood! 

Happy Friday everyone! 

With an ode to Symfonia (loosely translated to harmony in Greek), sample some of this to bring some harmony to your life and palette! 

 

 

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