Editing Chaptalization

{{short description|Process in wine production}}
[[Image:Riesling grapes leaves.jpg|right|thumb|In [[Alsace]], chaptalization is often used to boost the alcohol level of [[Riesling]] grapes that have not fully ripened on the vine.]]
'''Chaptalization''' is the process of adding [[sugar]] to unfermented [[grape]] [[must]] in order to increase the [[alcohol by volume|alcohol content]] after [[Fermentation (wine)|fermentation]]. The technique is named after its developer, the French [[chemist]] [[Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal]].<ref name="MacNeil p 47">{{cite book |author=MacNeil, K |title=The Wine Bible |publisher=Workman Publishing |year=2001 |isbn=1-56305-434-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/winebible00kare/page/47 47] |url=https://archive.org/details/winebible00kare/page/47}}</ref> This process is not intended to make the wine [[Sweetness of wine|sweeter]], but rather to provide more sugar for the [[yeast (wine)|yeast]] to ferment into alcohol.<ref name="MacNeil p 47"/>

Chaptalization has generated controversy and discontent in the [[French wine]] industry due to advantages that the process is perceived to give producers in poor-climate areas. In response to violent demonstrations by protesters in 1907, the French government began regulating the amount of sugar that can be added to wine.

Chaptalization is sometimes referred to as '''enrichment''', for example in the [[European Union wine regulations]] specifying the legality of the practice within EU.<ref name="CMO 08">{{cite journal |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:148:0001:0061:EN:PDF |title=Council Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 on the common organisation of the market in wine |format=PDF |journal=Official Journal of the European Union |date=2008-06-06 |access-date=2008-11-21 |pages=148/52–54 (Annex V)}}</ref>

The legality of chaptalization varies by country, region, and even wine type. In general, it is legal in regions that produce grapes with low sugar content, such as the northern regions of France, Germany, and the United States. Chaptalization is, however, prohibited in Argentina, Australia, California, Italy, Portugal, Spain and South Africa. Germany prohibits the practice for making [[Prädikatswein]].
==History==
[[Image:Jean-Antoine Chaptal.jpg|left|thumb|French chemist Jean-Antoine Chaptal]]
The technique of adding sugar to grape [[must]] has been part of the process of winemaking since the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] added [[honey]] as a sweetening agent. While not realizing the chemical components, Roman winemakers were able to identify the benefits of added sense of [[body (wine)|body]] or [[mouthfeel]].<ref name="Sogg">{{cite journal |author=Sogg, D |url=http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Archives/Show_Article/0,1275,3567,00.html |title=Inside Wine: Chaptalization |journal=Wine Spectator |date=2002-03-31 |access-date=2007-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202232335/http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Archives/Show_Article/0,1275,3567,00.html |archive-date=2008-12-02 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

While the process has long been associated with French wine, the first recorded mention of adding sugar to must in French literature was the 1765 edition of ''[[L'Encyclopedie]]'', which advocated the use of sugar for sweetening wine over the previously accepted practice of using [[lead diacetate|lead acetate]]. In 1777, the French chemist [[Pierre Macquer]] discovered that the actual chemical benefit of adding sugar to must was an increase in alcohol to balance the high acidity of [[underripe grapes]] rather than any perceived increase in sweetness. In 1801, while in the services of [[Napoleon]], Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal began advocating the technique as a means of strengthening and preserving wine.<ref name="Phillips pp 195-196">{{cite book |author=Phillips, R |title=A Short History of Wine |pages=[https://archive.org/details/shorthistoryofwi0000phil/page/195 195–196] |publisher=Harper Collins |year=2000 |isbn=0-06-621282-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/shorthistoryofwi0000phil/page/195}}</ref>

In the 1840s, the [[German wine]] industry was hard hit by severe weather that created considerable difficulty for harvesting ripened grapes in this cool region. A chemist named [[Ludwig Gall]] suggested Chaptal's method of adding sugar to the must to help wine makers compensate for the effects of detrimental weather. This process of ''Verbesserung'' (improvement) helped sustain wine production in the [[Mosel (wine region)|Mosel]] region during this difficult period.<ref name="Johnson p 395">{{cite book |author=Johnson, H |title=Vintage: The Story of Wine |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=1989 |isbn=0-671-68702-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/vintagestoryofwi00john/page/395 395] |url=https://archive.org/details/vintagestoryofwi00john/page/395}}</ref>

At the turn of the twentieth century, the process became controversial in the French wine industry with [[Winemaking|vigneron]]s in the [[Languedoc]] protesting the production of "artificial wines" that flooded the French wine market and drove down prices. In June 1907, huge demonstrations broke out across the Languedoc region with over 900,000 protesters demanding that the government take action to protect their livelihood. Riots in the city of [[Narbonne]] prompted Prime Minister [[Georges Clemenceau]] to send the [[French army]] to the city. The ensuing clash resulted in the death of five protesters. The following day, Languedoc sympathizers burned the [[prefecture]] in [[Perpignan]]. In response to the protests, the French government increased the taxation on sugar and passed laws limiting the amount of sugar that could be added to wine.<ref name="Phillips p 291">Phillips, 291.</ref>

==Process variations==
[[Image:Saccharose.svg|class=skin-invert-image|thumb|right|During fermentation, components of the sucrose molecules are converted into ethanol.]]
Different techniques are employed to adjust the level of sugar in the grape must. In the normal chaptalization process, [[cane sugar]] is the most common type of sugar added although some winemakers prefer [[beet sugar]] or [[corn syrup]]. In many wine regions, [[brown sugar]] is an illegal additive, and in regions that disallow chaptalization altogether, grape [[concentrate]] may be added.<ref name="Sogg"/> After sugar is added to the must, naturally occurring enzymes break down the [[sucrose]] molecules in sugar into [[glucose]] and [[fructose]], which are then fermented by the yeast and converted into alcohol and [[carbon dioxide]].

In warmer regions, where overripening is a concern, the opposite process of rehydration (dilution with water) and acidification is used. This is used in jurisdictions such as areas of California, where if the must has excess sugar for normal fermentation, water may be added to lower the concentration. In acidification, [[tartaric acid]] is added to the must to compensate for the high levels<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/media/Oakland-Magazine/September-October-2006/Wine-Spirits-Hang-Time/|title=Hang Time|publisher=Oakland Magazine|date=September–October 2006|author=Daniel, Laurie|access-date=2007-04-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928194317/http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/media/Oakland-Magazine/September-October-2006/Wine-Spirits-Hang-Time/|archive-date=2007-09-28|url-status=dead}}</ref> of sugar and low levels of acid naturally found in ripe grapes.<ref name="Robinson p 81">{{cite book |author=Robinson, J |title=Jancis Robinson's Wine Course |publisher=Abbeville Press |year=2003 |isbn=0-7892-0883-0 |page=81}}</ref>

In [[Champagne production]], measured quantities of sugar, wine, and sometimes [[brandy]] are added after fermentation and prior to corking in a process known as dosage. Chaptalization, on the other hand, involves adding sugar prior to fermentation. [[List of champagne producers|Champagne producers]] sometimes employ chaptalization in their winemaking when the wine is still in the form of must.<ref name="Sogg"/>

Some wine journalists contend that chaptalization allows wine makers to sacrifice quality in favor of quantity by letting vines overproduce high yields of grapes that have not fully ripened.<ref name="MacNeil p 278"/> Also, winemakers have been using technological advances, such as [[reverse osmosis]] to remove water from the unfermented grape juice, thereby increasing its sugar concentration,<ref name="Sogg"/> but decreasing the volume of wine produced.

==Current legality==
[[Image:Toasting Champagne.jpg|right|thumb|Chaptalization is standard in the production of [[Champagne (wine)|champagne]].]]
Control of chaptalization is fairly strict in many countries, and generally only permitted in more northerly areas where grapes might not ripen enough. In the [[European Union]], the amount of chaptalization allowed depends on the [[European Union wine growing zones|wine growing zone]].
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! [[European Union wine growing zones|Zone]]
! Allowable increase<ref name="CMO 08"/>
! Maximum [[Alcohol by volume|ABV]] from chaptalization<ref name="CMO 08"/>
|-
! A
| 3%&nbsp;ABV (24&nbsp;[[gram|g]]/[[liter|L]])<ref name="GWI">{{cite web |url=http://www.deutscheweine.de/icc/Internet-EN/nav/faf/faf7d719-ffe4-01e7-6cd4-61d7937aae22 |title=Quality categories |publisher=German Wine Institute |year=2003 |access-date=2008-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080731181124/http://www.deutscheweine.de/icc/internet-en/nav/faf/faf7d719-ffe4-01e7-6cd4-61d7937aae22 |archive-date=2008-07-31 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| 11.5% (white), 12% (red)<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/euwineregs.pdf | title=Guide to EU Wine Regulations | publisher=UK Food Standards Agency | access-date=2008-11-21 | date=October 2005 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207123959/http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/euwineregs.pdf | archive-date=2012-02-07 }}</ref>
|-
! B
| 2%&nbsp;ABV (16&nbsp;[[gram|g]]/[[liter|L]])
| 12% (white), 12.5% (red)
|-
! C
| 1.5%&nbsp;ABV (12&nbsp;[[gram|g]]/[[liter|L]])<br>'''Zero''' in Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, and regions of southern France
| 12.5%&ndash;13.5% depending on region
|}

Dispensation to add another 0.5% ABV may be given in years when climatic conditions have been exceptionally unfavorable.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=PRES/07/294&format=HTML&aged=0&lg=en&guiLanguage=en | title=Europa.eu, Press releases rapid: Agriculture and Fisheries | publisher=European Parliament | date=2007-12-17 | access-date=2008-11-21}}</ref> National wine regulations may further restrict or ban chaptalization for certain classes of wine.

In some areas, such as Germany, wine regulations dictate that the wine makers must [[wine label|label]] whether or not the wines are "natural," i.e. without sugar. Other areas, such as France, do not have such label requirements.<ref name="Johnson p 395"/>

In the [[United States]], federal law permits chaptalization when producing natural grape wine from juice with low sugar content.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2004/aprqtr/pdf/27cfr24.177.pdf | title=United States Federal Regulations, Title 27, Section 24.177 | publisher=Department of the Treasury | year=2004 }}</ref> This allows chaptalization in cooler states such as [[Oregon]], or in states such as [[Florida]] where the native grape ([[Muscadine]]) is naturally low in sugar. However, individual states may still create their own regulations; California, for example, prohibits chaptalization,<ref name="Phillips p 198"/> although California winemakers may add grape [[concentrate]].<ref>{{cite web |author1=Herbst, Ron |author2=Herbst, Sharon Tyler | title=Wine Dictionary - chaptalization | url=http://www.epicurious.com/tools/winedictionary/entry?id=5845 | publisher=Barron's Educational Services, Inc | year=1995}}</ref>

===Countries and regions===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
''Countries and regions where chaptalization is permitted''
*[[Brazil]]<ref>[https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/Leis/1980-1988/L7678.htm Brazil Federal Law 7678/1988 {{in lang|pt}}]</ref><ref>[https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/decreto/1990-1994/D99066.htm Brazil Federal Decree 99066/1990 {{in lang|pt}}]</ref>
*[[Canada]]<ref name="Robinson p 81"/>
*[[Chile]]<ref name="Robinson p 81"/>
*[[China]]<ref name="Robinson p 81"/>
*[[France]]: [[Alsace]],<ref name="MacNeil p 278">MacNeil, 278.</ref> [[Bordeaux]],<ref name="Robinson p 81"/> [[Burgundy (region)|Burgundy]],<ref name="Phillips p 198">Phillips, 198.</ref> [[Champagne (wine region)|Champagne]]<ref name="Sogg"/>
*[[Germany]] for Tafelwein, Landwein, and [[Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete]] (QbA)<ref name="GWI"/><ref name="Johnson atlas p 242">{{cite book | author=Johnson, H |author2=Robinson, J | title=The World Atlas of Wine | publisher=Mitchell Beazley Publishing | year=2005 | isbn=1-84000-332-4 | page=242}}</ref>
*[[Japan]]<ref name="Robinson p 81"/>
*[[New Zealand]]<ref name="Robinson p 81"/>
*[[Switzerland]]<ref name="Robinson p 270">Robinson, 270.</ref>
*[[Wine from the United Kingdom|United Kingdom]]<ref name="Johnson atlas p 326">Johnson and Robinson, 326.</ref>
*[[United States]]: [[Long Island]] and [[Oregon]]<ref name="Sogg"/>
{{col-2}}
''Countries and regions where chaptalization is not permitted''
*[[Argentine wine|Argentina]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eater.com/wine/22299944/wine-making-ingredients-vegan-chaptalization-acidification/ |title=What's Lurking in Your Wine? Fish Bladders, Egg Whites, and Mega Purple |date=29 June 2016 |access-date=February 19, 2024}}</ref>
*[[Australian wine|Australia]]<ref name="Robinson p 81"/>
*[[Austrian wine|Austria]]<ref name="Johnson atlas p 242"/>
*[[California wine regions|California]]<ref name="Phillips p 198"/>
*[[German wine|Germany]] for [[Prädikatswein]]<ref name="Johnson atlas p 242"/>
*[[Italian wine|Italy]]<ref name="Sogg"/>
*[[Portuguese wine|Portugal]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://grandesescolhas.com/correcao-do-grau-alcoolico/ |title=Correção do grau alcoólico |date=2 March 2018 |access-date=19 April 2022}}</ref>
*[[Spanish wine|Spain]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.comenge.com/chaptalizacion/ |title=¿Qué es la chaptalización? |date=5 July 2016 |access-date=19 April 2022}}</ref>
*[[South African wine|South Africa]]<ref name="Robinson p 81"/>
{{col-end}}

==See also==
*[[Alcohol by volume]]
*[[Brix]]
*[[Sugars in wine]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cite journal | author=Chorniak, Jeff | title=How Sweet It Is: Chaptalization | url=http://winemakermag.com/stories/techniques/article/indices/35-techniques/371-how-sweet-it-is-chaptalization | publisher=WineMaker Magazine | date=August–September 2002 | access-date=2002-10-01 | archive-date=2009-02-12 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212145703/http://winemakermag.com/stories/techniques/article/indices/35-techniques/371-how-sweet-it-is-chaptalization | url-status=dead }}
*[http://vinoenology.com/calculators/chaptalization-and-water-dilution/ Chaptalization Calculator]
*[https://www.academia.edu/32413359/Gabriel_Yravedra._El_fraude_de_la_chaptalizaci%C3%B3n_en_vinos_de_la_Uni%C3%B3n_Europea._AMV_Ediciones_Madrid_2014 Gabriel Yravedra. El fraude de la chaptalización en vinos de la Unión Europea. AMV Ediciones, Madrid, 2014.]
{{Winemaking}}

[[Category:Winemaking]]
[[Category:Sugar industry]]