History

Wine has been produced since ancient times around the world. Wine is the fermented juice of grapes, specifically the V. vinifera aka the European grape which is of the grape genus Vitis. However, V. labrusca-the native American grape-has also been used for wines. In fact, other fruits have been used to create wine such as peach wine and blackberry wine. Viticulture or wine making has been dated back to the early 4000 BCE and probably even earlier. In fact, wine is a large part of religions such as the ancient Greeks who worshipped Dionysus, the god of wine.

How Wine is Made

Wine making or vinification starts at the selection of fruit, its fermentation into an alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. After harvesting the grapes, crushing the grapes to get the juice and then will ferment it twice. The first fermentation process is to allow for the natural yeast from the grapes to feed on the sugars to multiply and turn the juice into an alcohol, achieving a 12% alcohol concentration. The second fermentation takes up 3 to 6 months to make the cloudy wine become clear and can either use stainless stain vessels or oak barrels. More expensive wines will use oak barrels to add more flavor compounds and slowly oxidize the wine to make it smoother and less acidic or bitter.

Types of

• Red Wine - Red wines are made from black grapes fermented with the grape skins (which is where the red colour of the wine comes from), seeds, and stems. Red wine is high in tannins, which causes that bitter, dry taste in your mouth after you take a sip. It is best to drink at room temperature, when chilled it can become more bitter. The popular types: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir.
• White Wine - White wines are made from white and black grapes, but do not contain the grape skins. The skins are separated and only the clear grape juice is used. White wine has few tannins; its acidic nature is what outlines its fresh, crisp and tart flavors. The popular types: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc.
• Rosé - Rosé is a type of wine known for its pink or blush color. This pretty color is created when the juice of black grapes are fermented with the skins for a short period of time, a few hours to a few days. Like white wine, it is also low in tannins, though some rosés are dry. Rosé is a popular crowd pleaser, especially for summertime parties, and a great choice as a starter wine because of its light, sweet flavor.
• Sparkling Wine - Sparkling wines are carbonated wines, hence the nickname “bubbly.” Sparkling wines are made from black and white grapes, and carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring byproduct of fermentation. The most well known sparkling wine is champagne, which is often used in celebrations like New Year’s and weddings.
• Dessert Wine - As the name suggests, dessert wines are sweet wines typically enjoyed after a meal with (and sometimes as) dessert.
• Fortified Wine - Fortified wines are wines with spirits like brandy added in during the fermentation process. Because these wines are sweetened by the alcohol, the ones with lower alcohol content are considered dessert wines and are also paired with desserts. Most popular types include Port and Sherry.