Really more of a "wine" for
novice drinkers, i.e.
teenagers, because it is very sweet and fruity. The
alcohol content is higher than
beer, but low enough that the novice drinker is not put off by the overwhelming spirit taste. The classic
wino prefers a cheap
fortified wine such as
Thunderbird, because it has much more alcohol for a similar price.
While it may seem synthesized, Boone's Farm is basically a natural wine product, so its alcohol content is limited by the concentration at which the yeast responsible for the fermentation can survive, about 12-13%. I seem to recall Boone's being in the 8-10% alcohol range. The genuine rot-gut stuff like T-bird, Night Train, and Mad Dog 20/20 have grain alcohol added to bring their alcohol content up to around 20%. A cheaper buzz, but you pay the price in other ways.