Blame California’s winemakers if you like for the soaring alcohol levels in their wines, but the practice is becoming so widespread globally that finding a red wine under 14.5% alcohol is getting more ...

That “12% ABV” might not mean what you think. U.S. rules let wines under 14% alcohol vary by ±1.5%, so a bottle labeled 12% ABV could actually be anywhere from 10.5% to 13.5% ABV — a swing that ...