Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage primarily made from the fermentation of grapes, which contain natural sugars, water, and enzymes. The fermentation process often involves adding cultured yeast to the grape juice, allowing for the production of ethanol and carbon dioxide. The resulting wines can vary significantly based on the grape types, fermentation methods, and the inclusion of grape skins. For instance, red wine is made by fermenting grape juice with the skins, while white wine is produced without them.
Wine has a rich historical context, with evidence of its production dating back to around 6000 BCE in regions now known as Georgia and Iran. It has played a significant role in various cultures, including ancient Greece and Rome, where it was often associated with religious rituals and celebrations. Today, Europe remains a dominant force in wine production and consumption, with France and Italy leading the way.
Wine tasting is a sensory experience where tasters evaluate flavors, aromas, and overall quality, often allowing the wine to breathe to enhance its characteristics. Additionally, the effects of wine consumption can vary greatly among individuals, influenced by factors such as body weight, food intake, and personal health. While moderate consumption might offer certain benefits, excessive drinking can lead to serious health risks. Overall, wine is not only a beverage but also a cultural symbol, reflecting the traditions and practices of diverse societies around the world.
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Wine
Wine, or vinum in Latin, is an alcoholic beverage made of fermented fruits, most commonly grapes. Grapes contain water, enzymes, and sugars, and have wild yeasts on their surface. Most often, however, winemakers add a desired cultured yeast to the fruit juice. This yeast consumes the sugars in the liquid originally made by pressing the grapes (known as the "feedstock"), and it later releases a combination of ethanol and carbon dioxide. The fermented juice is typically stored for a period of time before being consumed.
Different combinations of the initial ingredients and variations in the process are used to create multiple types of wine. For instance, when the crushed skins of the grapes and the seeds are fermented along with the juice, the result is red wine, while white wine is the product of the fermented grape juice without the skins, regardless of the color of the grapes that were pressed.
Brief History
Wine has been recorded in various cultures for thousands of years. The earliest evidence of domesticated grapes dates to Georgia at around 6000 BCE, and the earliest winemaking equipment found goes back to around 5400 BCE in what is now Iran. It was a common drink for several ancient cultures, including those of Greece and Rome. The spread of wine is most attributed to the Phoenicians, who introduced the drink to several different cultures in the Mediterranean region.
Wine was also seen as a religious drink in several ancient religious traditions. According to the Greek writer Plutarch, the ancient Egyptians considered red wine to be the blood of ancestors, and the ancient Greeks saw wine as an essential part of the cult of Dionysus. During the Jewish Passover Seder, four cups of wine are drunk as a symbol of freedom and joy; unlike among Christians and the ancient Egyptians, wine is not considered to symbolize blood in Judaism. In Christianity, wine is meant to represent the blood of Christ and is required for the Eucharist.
The ancient Romans made several innovations in winemaking. They developed vineyards within their own regions and discovered that burning a sulfur candle within empty wine jars keeps the taste and smell of vinegar out, for instance.
Overview
Europe has long been where the most wine is produced for export as well as where the most wine is consumed. In 2014, France was the leader of the world’s wine production, producing about 47 million hectoliters (roughly 4.5 billion liters). Italy was next closest, with 45 million of hectoliters. As of 2015, Vatican City is the country that consumes the most wine at 54.26 liters per capita per year. Andorra is the second-highest, at 46.26 liters per capita, while Croatia is third, with 44.2 liters per capita.
The majority of wine is made with grapes from Europe. The most common types of wine come from the species Vitis vinifera and make wines such as gamay, merlot, cabernet, pinot, and chardonnay. When a varietal of this species of grape constitutes 75 to 85 percent of the feedstock, it is considered the dominant grape. When less is used, it creates "blended" wines, which are not of lesser quality but just different. Winemaking may include genetic crossing in order to create the desired flavor or to develop certain plant characteristics, such as disease resistance. Some other species of grapes that might be used for blending or hybridizing include V. labrusca, V. aestivalis, and V. riparia. Terroir is another part of wine production that involves the effects of the geographical topography, weather, the seasons, and soil of the location where the wine grapes are grown. Storing the finished wine in oak barrels or steel tanks and the length of storage also affect the flavor.
Regulations regarding types of wine differ throughout the world. Europe tends to be especially strict about labeling the types of grapes used and classifies wines by region, such as Chianti, Bordeaux, or Champagne. Wines from world regions other than Europe have become more popular and are most commonly classified by the variety of grape used in order to make the wine instead, such as a merlot or pinot noir. Washington State’s Columbia Valley, California’s Napa and Sonoma Valleys, Australia’s Hunter Valley, Argentina’s Mendoza region, Chile’s Colchagua Valley, and South Africa’s Western Cape region have become well known for their wines, too.
Wine tasting is the examination of a type of wine through sensory detail. A taster might take note of the kinds of flavors, the level of tannins (perceived "earthiness"), the sweetness or dryness, and the thickness of the wine (a quality known as "body"). Tasters are often encouraged to let a wine "breathe," or to go through a process of aeration, or to decant it before consumption. Exposure to oxygen generally releases the flavors of a wine, while decanting often rids wines of sediment, particularly full-bodied red wines aged more than ten years, and involves standing a bottle upright for a day or more and then carefully pouring the clear wine into a special glass pitcher called a decanter. A decanter might also be used in the aeration process. Chilling white wine and slightly cooling red wine is recommended to enhance the taste.
Drinking wine produces short-term psychological and physical effects in those who consume it, though the degree to which these manifest depends on how an individual’s body might react to the alcohol in the wine. This can be affected by how much the individual has had to drink, over what time period, how much food he or she has had to eat, the sex and weight of the person, and what medications, if any, the person takes. Consuming alcoholic beverages, such as wine, can cause loss of motor coordination, impaired judgment and senses, lowered inhibitions, and changes in emotional affect. In severe cases, overconsumption can lead to loss of consciousness, coma, or even death. Long-term effects of consuming wine can also be harmful, potentially leading to alcoholism or elevated risk of cancer; there have been conflicting studies regarding whether long-term consumption of red wine, which is high in flavonoids, may confer health benefits as well.
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