category: beverages/drinks: alcoholic beverages: wine

Oechslemeter, de.: Oechslewaage, Senkspindel, Aräometer

An Oechslemeter is an appliance constructed by Christian Ferdinand Oechsle for the measurement of the specific must weight, i.e. degree oechsle of liquids. The Oechslemeter consists of a cylindrical hollow vessel shaped like a baton that is weighed down with a lead or mercury weight at one end. The Oechslemeter often lies within a glas container that can be filled with the liquid to be measured. The Oechslemeter swims in this liquid standing upright and dips in according to the density of it. The more sugar a liquid to be measured contains (for example must) and therefore the denser it is, the higher the Oechslemeter swims in this liquid. The density or sugar content is measured in degree oechsle. Degree oechsle are read off a scale calibrated at 20 °C. This scale is usually at the outside of the container. For temperatures below 20 °C 0,2 degrees oechsle have to be added, for temperatures over 20 °C 0,2 degrees oechsle have to be subtracted to get an exact result. The Oechslemeter is nowadays not much used anymore. Must weight is mostly measured with a wine refractometer.