We put eight 5.5–8% alcohol wines to the test.
Up until now, grocery stores have been allowed to sell alcoholic beverages with a maximum strength of 5.5 percent. An increase in the percentage limit to eight would bring not only stronger beers and ciders, but also stronger wines to grocery stores.
But what do wines with an alcohol percentage of 5.5–8 taste like? We tested the wines placed in this category found in Alkoi in the center of Helsinki.
– These milder wines have never been asked before. Customers want either regular 11–14 percent strength wine, or completely alcohol-free, Arkadian Alko was told when purchasing test wines.
According to Arkadia Alko’s staff, there are hundreds of 5.5-8% wines around the world, but they have not been popular among Finnish importers because customers don’t ask for them either.
In Suomen Alkoi, 5.5–8 percent wines are not separately listed or sorted, but are among other wines.
Good luck Kalin
A five-person tasting panel tasted the wines blind. They did not know which wines had been selected for the test. The jury evaluates the wines verbally and on a rating scale of 4–10. After the name of the wine, you can see the average of the grades given by the jury.
In general, the wines did not make a great impression on the jury and the ratings remained quite low. In the case of many wines, the lack of taste or its uniqueness aroused surprise. However, a winner was found. Rüdesheimer Rosengarten was praised the most as wine-like and something you would dare to serve with food.
Test results:
1. Rüdesheimer Rosengarten
Grade: 8-
– The most wine-like scent of all. Note that the wine has been fetched, although it hasn’t quite got there. You would dare to serve this with food.
– Wine-like, mild taste. The most wine-like of the test.
– Smells like real wine. Not as sweet as the others.
– A little drier than the others. A fine wine.
– Trying to imitate white wine, we knew what we were doing here.
2. Gancia Asti Dolce
Rating: 7.5
– The sweetest of the test so far. A little essence in the taste.
– Suck.
– Sweet with a capital M.
– I like it! It’s sweet, you can only drink a little of this at a time.
– The smell and taste remind me of soap bubbles. Dishwater that explodes in the mouth, but disappears immediately.
3. Borgo Maragliano La Caliera Moscato d’Asti
Rating: 7+
– Wonderfully sweet scent, strange foam, I would probably have chosen this for the ringing party.
– Very sweet.
– Nice bubbles, exciting aftertaste.
– Sweet dessert wine.
– Is there even alcohol in this?
4. Alma Atlántica Sangría Rosé
Rating: 6.5
– You could have thought it was really sweet, a childhood candy comes to mind.
– A very strong blackcurrant-like taste. The bubbles bring sliminess to this.
– Strong taste. Sweet, but not too much. Currant.
– Finrexin’s summer seasonal taste.
– A very strong scent. The taste does not match the smell.
5. Fresita
Grade: 6
– Smells strongly of the Fresita of my youth. You can tell from the taste that there is alcohol. Nostalgia points for this.
– Marketti fresita. Return to youth. Not a very strong taste, the smell is more aggressive.
– Marketti-fresita, not a pleasant taste, industrial.
– Crazy sweet, I don’t like it.
– New Year 2012 comes to mind.
6. Rhubarb Rhubarb Sparkling Dry
Grade: 6-
– Beautiful color, lovely pink rosé, weird aftertaste, but it’s quite fascinating, currant leaf comes to mind, but this is cheap.
– An exciting mix of bitter and fruity. The taste disappears from the mouth very quickly.
– Apple juice-like, strange aftertaste. I can’t figure out if this is nice or not.
– The taste(?) of blackcurrant leaf is strong, causes a bitter aftertaste.
– Powerful, herbal, leafy. He misses food by his side.
7. Riesling Kabinett Moselland
Rating: 5.5
– Watery taste and mouthfeel. Unspeakable.
– Doesn’t smell or taste anything. Tastes like a combination of water and wine.
– Tastes like water. Just a thirst drink from Humps.
– Quite good, but very mild.
– Watery! This is what you drink on Midsummer at four in the morning, when you are not sure whether the glass is wine or water.
8. Tempus Two Lighten Up Pinot Noir
Grade 5
– The color resembles berry juice concentrate. Juicy mouthfeel, haven’t even seen wine.
– You can recognize the red wine company, but you can’t call this wine in good conscience. Water with tannins.
– Blended red wine.
– A really watery red wine.
– A really watery red wine, I’ve drunk supermarket red wines and they don’t taste like this