Brix
[BRIHKS]
Named for A. F. W. Brix, a nineteenth-century German inventor, the Brix scale is a system used in the United States to measure the sugar content of grapes and wine. The Brix (sugar content) is determined by a HYDROMETER, which indicates a liquid’s SPECIFIC GRAVITY (the density of a liquid in relation to that of pure water). Each degree Brix is equivalent to 1 gram of sugar per 100 grams of grape juice. The grapes for most TABLE WINES have a Brix reading of between 20° to 25° at harvest. About 55 to 60 percent of the sugar is converted into ALCOHOL. The estimated alcohol that a wine will produce (called potential alcohol) is estimated by multiplying the Brix reading by 0.55. Therefore, a 20° Brix will make a wine with about 11 percent alcohol. The Balling scale was a comparable measurement procedure that has since been replaced by the Brix system.
Related Links:
specific gravity,
alcohol,
hydrometer (high-DRAH-mih-ter)
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc.
1995 based on THE WINE LOVER'S COMPANION,
by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst.
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