Have you ever spotted the word Baumé on a wine label or heard it mentioned at a cellar door and wondered what it means? You’re not alone! While it might sound a bit technical (and a little bit French), Baumé is a simple and super useful tool winemakers use to figure out how sweet grapes are—and how strong the wine will be. In this post, we’ll break it down. You’ll learn what Baumé is, how it’s measured, and why it matters when making delicious wine. No science degree required—just a love of learning what’s in your glass.
So, what is Baumé in wine?
Baumé (pronounced boh-MAY) is a scale that tells winemakers how much sugar is in grape juice. Why does that matter? Because sugar is what gets turned into alcohol during fermentation. The more sugar in the grapes, the more potential alcohol in the finished wine.
Think of Baumé like a ripeness meter. It helps winemakers decide when to pick grapes—too early and the wine might taste tart or thin; too late and it could be overly boozy or jammy.
What happens to Baumé during fermentation?
As wine ferments, yeast eats up the sugar and turns it into alcohol. So the Baumé reading goes down as fermentation continues. Winemakers keep an eye on this to track progress and make sure everything is going smoothly. When the sugar’s all gone (and Baumé hits zero), the wine is considered “dry.”
How do winemakers measure Baumé?
Winemakers use a tool called a hydrometer, which floats in grape juice and tells them how dense (aka sugary) the liquid is. The reading is given in degrees Baumé (°Bé).
They might also use a refractometer, a little handheld gadget that looks at how light bends through the juice. This often gives the reading in Brix, which is a different scale—but it’s measuring the same thing: sugar levels.
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1° Baumé ≈ 18 grams of sugar per litre
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1° Baumé ≈ 1.8° Brix
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For alcohol: 1° Baumé = about 1–1.1% alcohol in the finished wine
So if grapes are picked at 12° Baumé, you’re likely to get a wine that’s around 12–13.5% alcohol. Most wines fall in that range, but if you want something stronger, like a bold Shiraz, you might be looking at 15° Baumé or higher.
Baumé vs. Brix: What’s the difference?
Baumé and Brix are just different systems for measuring the same thing—how much sugar is in grape juice.
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Baumé is more commonly used in France and Australia.
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Brix is popular in the US and New World wine regions.
To convert Brix to alcohol potential, you just multiply the Brix number by 0.55. For example, 24° Brix would give you roughly 13.2% alcohol.
A bit of history
The Baumé scale was created in the 1700s by a French pharmacist named Antoine Baumé. It was originally used to measure the density of liquids in general, but winemakers quickly realised how useful it was for their craft. And it’s still going strong today!
Why does Baumé matter?
Baumé might seem like a tiny number on a chart, but it has a big impact on how a wine turns out. It helps winemakers:
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Pick grapes at just the right moment
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Predict alcohol levels
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Balance sweetness, acidity, and flavour
It’s one of those behind-the-scenes details that helps make your favourite wine taste just right.
Baume in wine: A handy number behind great wine
Now that you know what Baumé is in wine, you’ll have a little extra confidence next time you’re tasting or touring a vineyard. It’s a small number, but one that helps winemakers turn grapes into magic.