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Title 26 — Internal Revenue CodeRelease 119-73

§5384 Amelioration and Sweetening Limitations for Natural Fruit and Berry Wines

Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle E— Alcohol, Tobacco, and Certain Other Excise Taxes › Chapter 51— DISTILLED SPIRITS, WINES, AND BEER › Subchapter F— Bonded and Taxpaid Wine Premises › Part III— CELLAR TREATMENT AND CLASSIFICATION OF WINE › § 5384

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Winemakers who make natural wine from berries or fruit other than grapes may add pure dry sugar or liquid sugar to the juice or to the finished wine. The wine must end up with no more than 14 percent alcohol by volume and no more than 21 percent total solids by weight, and liquid sugar cannot add more volume than dry sugar would have. A winemaker can also use sugar to fix fruit or berry wine that is naturally too acidic, but not so much that the natural fixed acid drops below five parts per thousand, and no more than would have brought the juice to 25 degrees Brix before fermentation. The sugar must go in before fermentation finishes, and records must be kept separately for each kind of fruit. Acid is measured as malic acid for apple wine and citric acid for other fruits. Wine made from very tart fruit, with natural acid of 20 parts per thousand or more, may use ameliorating material up to 60 percent instead of the usual 35 percent.

Full Legal Text

Title 26, §5384

Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)To natural wine made from berries or fruit other than grapes, pure dry sugar or liquid sugar may be added to the juice in the fermenter, or to the wine after fermentation; but only if such wine has not more than 14 percent alcohol by volume after complete fermentation, or after complete fermentation and sweetening, and a total solids content not in excess of 21 percent by weight; and except that the use under this subsection of liquid sugar shall be limited so that the resultant volume will not exceed the volume which could result from the maximum authorized use of pure dry sugar only.
(b)(1)Any natural fruit or berry wine (other than grape wine) of a winemaker’s own production may, if not made under subsection (a) of this section, be ameliorated to correct high acid content. Ameliorating material calculations and accounting shall be separate for wines made from each different kind of fruit.
(2)Pure dry sugar or liquid sugar may be used in the production of wines under this subsection for the purpose of correcting natural deficiencies, but not to such an extent as would reduce the natural fixed acid in the corrected juice or wine to five parts per thousand. The quantity of sugar so used shall not exceed the quantity which would have been required to adjust the juice, prior to fermentation, to a total solids content of 25 degrees (Brix). Such sugar shall be added prior to the completion of fermentation of the wine. After such addition of the sugar, the wine or juice shall be treated and accounted for as provided in section 5383(b), covering the production of high acid grape wines, except that—
(A)Natural fixed acid shall be calculated as malic acid for apple wine and as citric acid for other fruit and berry wines, instead of tartaric acid;
(B)Juice adjusted with pure dry sugar or liquid sugar as provided in this paragraph shall be treated in the same manner as original natural juice under the provisions of section 5383(b); except that if liquid sugar is used, the volume of water contained therein must be deducted from the volume of ameliorating material authorized;
(C)Wines made under this subsection shall have a total solids content of not more than 21 percent by weight, whether or not wine spirits have been added; and
(D)Wines made exclusively from any fruit or berry with a natural fixed acid of 20 parts per thousand or more (before any correction of such fruit or berry) shall be entitled to a volume of ameliorating material not in excess of 60 percent (in lieu of 35 percent).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 5384, act Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 670, consisted of provisions similar to those comprising this section, prior to the general revision of this chapter by Pub. L. 85–859.

Amendments

1997—Subsec. (b)(2)(D). Pub. L. 105–34 substituted “any fruit or berry with a natural fixed acid of 20 parts per thousand or more (before any correction of such fruit or berry)” for “loganberries, currants, or gooseberries,”. 1968—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 90–619 substituted “not more than 14 percent” for “less than 14 percent”. 1965—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 89–44, § 806(b)(2)(A), authorized addition of liquid sugar provided resultant volume will not exceed volume which could result from maximum authorized use of pure dry sugar only. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 89–44, § 806(c)(3), substituted “Ameliorated” for “Reserve” in heading. Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 89–44, § 806(b)(2)(B), struck out references to reserves and reserve inventories. Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 89–44, § 806(b)(2)(C), amended first sentence by authorizing use of liquid sugar but limiting use of any sugar if it reduced natural fixed acid in corrected juice or wine to five parts per thousand. Pub. L. 89–44, § 806(c)(2), struck out “reserved” after “covering the production of” in fourth sentence. Subsec. (b)(2)(B). Pub. L. 89–44, § 806(b)(2)(D), required that, if liquid sugar is used, the volume of water contained therein be deducted from the volume of ameliorating material authorized. Subsec. (b)(2)(C). Pub. L. 89–44, § 806(b)(2)(E), substituted “shall have” for “may be withdrawn from reserve inventory with”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1997 Amendment Pub. L. 105–34, title XIV, § 1417(b), Aug. 5, 1997, 111 Stat. 1048, provided that: “The amendment made by this section [amending this section] shall take effect on the 1st day of the 1st calendar quarter that begins at least 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 5, 1997].”

Effective Date

of 1968 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 90–619 effective on first day of first month which begins 90 days or more after Oct. 22, 1968, see section 6 of Pub. L. 90–619, set out as a note under section 5373 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1965 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 89–44 effective Jan. 1, 1966, see section 806(d)(2) of Pub. L. 89–44, set out as a note under section 5383 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

26 U.S.C. § 5384

Title 26 — Internal Revenue Code

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73