Wine is an alcoholic beverage which is typically made up of fermented grape juice. The grape has a natural chemical balance that ferments without adding enzyme, acids, sugars or any other nutrients. Wine is usually produced by fermenting the crushed grapes with the help of different types of yeast. It’s the yeast which consumes all the sugar from the grapes and makes it into alcohol.
Various kinds of grapes and yeast are used to produce different varieties of wine. Other fruits like the apple and the berries can also be fermented, and the resultant wines are named after the fruits from which they are produced like the apple wine and elderberry wine. Other wines like the rice wine and the barley wine are usually made from the starch based materials and are well known as the beer and the spirit.
Ginger wine is well fortified with the brandy. In such cases the term wine is referred for the higher content of alcohol when compared to the production process. The law in most of the jurisdiction protects the commercial use of the word wine. Wine is originated in Georgia and Iran and is suppose to have a history dating back to 6000 BC. Wine first appeared in 4500 BC and was very common in Thrace, Rome and Greek. Wine had an important role in the history of almost all the religions. The Greek god Dionysus and the Roman god Bacchus represented the wine, and this drink is very popular in the Jewish and the Christian ceremonies.
An archaeologist report of 2003 shows the possibility that the grapes were used along with the rice to produce a fermented beverage in 7000 BC in China. Wine is generally made from the different varieties of the European species like the chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and the pinot noir. When one such grape is used the result is a varietal that is a blended wine. Wine is also made from other species of grapes or the hybrids. These hybrids are made by the genetic crossing of two different species.
Vitis labrusca, vitis rupestris, vitis aestivalis, vitis rriparia and the vitis rotundifolia are the native North American grapes which are generally grown for the purpose of consumption or even for the production of jam, jelly, juice and wine. Hybridization should not be confused with the practice of grafting. Many of the vineyards of the world are planted with the European vinifera vine which has been grafted with the North American species rootstock. This is a very common practice as North American grape species are usually resistant to phylloxera, which is a root louse responsible to kill the wine.
Terroir is a very important concept which encompasses the different types of grapes used, shape and elevation of the vineyard, chemistry and type of the soil, seasonal and climate conditions, and also the local yeast cultures. This will result in great differences between wines, which will influence the finishing, fermentation and also the aging process. Most of the wineries use the production and the growing methods that help in preserving the aroma of their unique terroir.
