2

Baumé [Bé]

Baumé & Brix are unit of measurement for the amount of sugar in grape juice and fermenting wine.

Chief Wine Hacker

« Back to Wine Words Index

Baumé, pronounced Boh-May, & Brix are units of measurement for the amount of sugar in grape juice and fermenting wine.

1°Bé = 1.8°Brix = 18 grams per litre sugar.

Depending on the efficiency of the yeast in converting sugar to alcohol 1°Bé will produce 1-1.1% alcohol. So fruit picked at 12°Bé will result in a wine with 12-13.5% Alcohol.

We measure Baumé & Brix using hydrometers that float in juice and wine.

On the left is a hydrometer and thermometer just about to measure the Baumé and temperature of the fermenting wine. On the right a hydrometer measuring the Baumé of a juice sample to check the sugar levels before picking. You can see it is at about 12.4°Bé. Enough sugar to make a wine with somewhere between 12.4-13.5% alcohol.

The Mega Technical Bit

The reading needs to be adjusted for the temperature of the liquid. We’re measuring the density of the liquid which will be more dense at lower temperatures and less dense at higher temperatures. As fermentation progresses alcohol production reduces the density of the liquid. By the end of fermentation, a hydrometer will need to read negative to indicate all the sugar has been consumed.

A hydrometer can not accurately measure very low levels of sugar. Other tests have to be used to determine precisely how many grams per litre of sugar remain in the wine.

 

Synonyms:
Brix
« Back to Wine Words Index

Feeling Thirsty?

Max Ferdinand Richter Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Spätlese 2020
"“Harvested at about the same time as the Grosses Gewächs (GG) and thus about four weeks after the Kabinett Rieslings, the 2020 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese opens with a pure, fresh and remarkably delicate slate bouquet that is already singing. On the palate, the wine is lush yet filigreed and finessed and provided with delicate, lingering salinity and finely concentrated, perfectly ripe fruit. This gorgeous wine was matured two-thirds in steel and one-third in casks. High
$83
$79ea in any 3+
$75ea in any 6+
Add to cart
More Info
Joh Jos Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Auslese Riesling MAGNUM 2022
The 2022er Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese offers a superbly attractive and aromatic nose of pineapple, coconut, melon, yellow flowers, a hint of marzipan, herbs, and juniper, all wrapped in a blanket of smoke. The wine proves superbly creamy and delicately smooth as plenty of finely honeyed and ripe yellow fruits and almond cream join the party. The finish has great presence and intensity in the very long and captivating finish. The aftertaste is engaging and long. 2030-2047Jean Fisc
$394
$379ea in any 3+
$364ea in any 6+
Add to cart
More Info
Paul Pilot Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes Rouge 2022
This gorgeous old-vine Chassagne rouge hails from a single 0.94-hectare parcel of 50-plus-year-old Pinot Noir vines grown on the red clays of Les Grandes Terres on the Santenay side of Chassagne. The clay-rich soil has long produced some of the finest and silkiest reds of the village. The 2022 fermented with 50% bunches, bringing perfume and extra-fine tannins. It’s an incredibly pretty, floral, red-and-blue-fruited expression of Chassagne. It’s already drinking remarkably well!“M
$160
$153ea in any 3+
$146ea in any 6+
Add to cart
More Info
Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune Blanc ‘Au Bout du Monde’ 2023
Located in the lieu-dit of En Creuzilly at a height of 420 metres with ‘more clay’. A very fresh wine with less ‘fat’ that wants time to show its best. Ample depth covering a very fine structure.Vines in the direction of Nolay, bought in 2014 – 2015 was the first vintage – from an 8 ha domaine shared with Sauzet – about 6km from domaine, vines on hillsides, over 400m with plenty of clay in this soil. Harvested about a week later than the vines around Chassagne – patience is a
$130
$125ea in any 3+
$120ea in any 6+
Add to cart
More Info