🍷 Glycerol
A mildly sweet sugar alcohol that yeast produces during fermentation and that is found in wine.
Glycerol is a sugar alcohol that yeast produces as a by-product when it ferments sugar into alcohol, so it is found in wine; levels of about 1 to 15 grams per litre are frequently found. It is a separate substance, neither sugar nor ethyl alcohol.
Glycerol is mildly sweet. In a classic tasting study of dry white wine, panellists noticed extra sweetness after about 5 g/L was added, while a noticeable change in thickness (viscosity) would have needed roughly 26 g/L, so at normal levels its main sensory effect is sweetness. Higher levels are also thought to add smoothness in the mouth.
Glycerol is sometimes blamed for the "tears" that run down the inside of a glass. The accepted explanation is different: alcohol evaporates from the thin film of wine on the glass, which changes its surface tension and pulls liquid upward.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Glycerol ← contains ← 🍷 Wine
Links
- Next step
- 🍷 Body (wine)
- Where it is found
- 🍷 Amarone, 🍷 Wine
- Part of
- 🍷 Wine taste and composition
- In other topics
- 🧼 Soap
Frequently asked questions
What is glycerol in wine?
A sugar alcohol that yeast produces as a by-product of fermentation; it is mildly sweet.
What does it give wine?
In a study of dry white wine its main effect at normal levels was sweetness; higher levels are thought to add smoothness.
Are the "tears" on the glass glycerol?
The accepted explanation involves alcohol evaporating from the film of wine on the glass and changing its surface tension, not glycerol.
What to read next
- 🍷 Amarone — A dry red DOCG wine from Valpolicella near Verona, made from Corvina and Rondinella grapes dried for months.
- 🍷 Body (wine) — Body is the sense of weight and density of a wine in the mouth, shaped by alcohol, glycerol, tannin and mannoproteins.
- 🧼 Soap — A washing agent made from fats and lye; Nabulsi and Aleppo soaps have long been made from olive oil.
Similar
🍷 Alcohol in wine · 🍷 Tannins · 🍷 Tears of wine · 🍷 Body (wine) · 🍷 Wine colour · 🍷 Polyphenols
Sources
- Noble A.C., Bursick G.F. The Contribution of Glycerol to Perceived Viscosity and Sweetness in White Wine. Am J Enol Vitic 1984;35(2):110
- Glycerol Production by the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its Relevance to Wine: A Review. S Afr J Enol Vitic 1998;19(1)
- APS Physics: Why My Wine Glass Cries (tears of wine)