The Oechsle scale is used to measure the density of grape must, which indicates the grape ripeness and sugar content used for wine production. One degree Oechsle (° Oe) corresponds to the difference of density between the must and water at 20°C. Thus a must with a density of 1036 grams per litre has 36° Oe. The scale is used to to predict the alcohol content of the wine which depends on the sugar content of the must. In general, a refractometer is used to determine the density of the must. The refractometer measures the index of refraction which correlates to the degree of Oechsle. The Schmidt + Haensch iPR-C, iPR-BR, ATR-BR as well as the ATR-P are suitable for an fast, easy and precise determination of those pararmeters.
