alcohol by volume

from

The percentage of ALCOHOL content, which must be included on American wine labels. For TABLE WINE, the United States requires a minimum alcohol level of 7 percent and a maximum of 14 percent. Because alcohol can be difficult to measure precisely, the label variance can be up to 1.5 percent. For example, a wine stating “Alcohol 12.5% By Volume” can legally range anywhere from 11 to 14 percent. However, wines cannot exceed the upper or lower limit. The alcohol-by-volume range for SHERRIES is 17 to 20 percent; for PORTS it’s 18 to 20 percent. The label variance for both of these FORTIFIED WINES is 1 percent.