Enrichment: Materials

sucrose is the usual enrichment material used. In northern Europe this has normally been refined sugar beet, or occasionally cane sugar.

In an effort to help drain Europe’s wine lake, however, EU authorities tried to encourage the use of high-strength grape sugar syrups made from surplus wine, especially in Italy and southern France (see grape concentrate and rectified grape must for more details), but compulsory distillation and other market reforms have been more effective at reducing the surplus. Enrichment using grape concentrate is also permitted in Australia, but sugar may be added only to induce the second fermentation for sparkling wines.