What Is Wine

At its core, wine is fermented grape juice. And so much more than that. Yes, wine is an alcoholic beverage made from crushing and fermenting grape juice but it is also an expression of a country’s geography, culture and people. Wine is distinct from spirits and beers because of how it is produced and the nearly infinite styles of wine there are around the world.

Every country that makes wine, has a its own unique style and approach. Wine is beautiful product of nature and human endeavour and every wine has its distinct set of flavours and engaging story to tell from vine to bottle to glass.

A Brief History

Wine has a long and chequered history. While the oldest evidence of winemaking was found in China dating back 9000 years, West Asia laid the foundation for European winemaking a little later than that. Its lead was followed by practitioners in ancient Greece, Armenia and Georgia which set jars of fermented grape underground – some Georgian winemakers still do.

The Roman Empire ushered the ancient golden age of winemaking across Europe and centuries of upheaval later, the 19th century saw the likes of France, Italy and Spain organize their fledgling industries with regional classifications which still stand today.

Bordeaux’s historic 1855 classification is regarded as one of the great vinous landmarks. Colonisers and settlers also vine cuttings across the world to North America, Southern Africa and Australia, laying the foundation for what is now known as the New World, making modern and approachable styles.

How It’s Made

Wine is made by planting, picking, crushing and fermenting grape. That’s a short, layman pitch. The long version involved planting and nurturing vast acreage of vineyard, monitoring the climate and nursing the grapes till harvest when they’re picked and crushed into free run juice. The juice is then fermented (grape skin contact for red wine, partial for rosé wine, none for white wine).

Once fermented, the wine is then store for a period in steel or concrete tanks or in the case of many reds and some white wines, aged in oak barrels. When the winemaker calls it, the wine is bottled, closed under cork or screwcaps and either bottle aged at the winery for more time or shipped to market and ready to drink or aged further, depending on the wine.

Types Of Wine

Red Wine is wildly popular for the sheer range and depth of flavour and has evolved into a motif and icon of the arts. The deep colour of red wine which comes from the skin is also known to boost health and immunity.

White Wine is regarded as the coolant of the soul since at its simplest, white wine is refreshing and fruity and the go to drink at the height of summer. Unlike red wines, whites wine have no intense colour but rather different hues ranging from pale yellow to golden.

Rosé wines tend to present the best of both worlds with pleasantly refreshing and acidity of white wines and milder flavours of red wines. Roses are made in a number of different styles which involve varying degrees of skin contact which determines the wine’s famous pink colour and delicate flavours.

Sparkling wines are widely adored for their pleasing bubbles and crisp flavours. Champagne is synonymous with the celebration of success and landmarks while the likes Prosecco from Italy and Cava from Spain have also gained popularity in recent years.