Chaptalization
Chaptalization comes from the French and is a controversial but widely used method of increasing alcohol content by enriching the must with sugar. The sugar added to the fermenting wine is turned into alcohol by the yeasts. The wine is then dry and the alcohol content has increased. Chaptalization is due to an idea of the scientist Jean-Antoine Chaptal. This method is an attempt to improve wines with low alcohol content and to increase their enjoyment. This is controversial, as many winemakers fear that the taste of the wine could be adulterated by a concentrate made from foreign grapes. Chaptalization is not permitted by law in South Africa. However, the natural conditions there also make it completely superfluous, as the wines from the Cape region generally have a sufficiently high alcohol content.