Total extract is the sum of all substances dissolved in the wine. It includes both volatile and non-volatile components. The dry extract is the non-volatile part that remains after evaporation of the aqueous-alcoholic part. The total of all minerals and trace elements is referred to as ash, the quantity of all organic acids as total acidity and the quantity of all sugars as residual sugar. Around 7,000 different substances have been identified in wine using metabolomics(a method of analysis).
This allows not only the ingredients present in a wine to be determined, but also the quality and origin, as well as any manipulation or wine adulteration that may have taken place. The calculation is made in grams per litre (g/l) to one decimal place. The majority is still unknown. The 50 or so most common ones interact to influence the characteristics and quality as well as the overall sensory impression of a wine.
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Markus J. Eser
Weinakademiker und Herausgeber „Der Weinkalender“