Wine – A Comprehensive Study
To the purist, wine is an alcoholic drink made from the fermentation of grapes. Grapes have a property of fermentation without the addition of any enzymes, sugars, acids or other elements. Wine is produced after the fermentation of crushed grapes using different types of yeasts that consumes sugar found in grapes and converts that sugar into alcohol. Wine can be made using almost any fruit and a number of vegetables too. The resultant wine is usually named according to its principle ingredient.
According to number of grapes species used in wine making, there are two types of wine:
- Varietal Wines – The wine, which is made primarily from fermentation of a single grape variety, is known as Varietal Wine. You can identify the type of grapes used in making of a particular varietal wine from printed label. One fine example of a varietal wine is Red Burgundy, made after fermentation of the single variety of ‘Pinot Noir’ grapes.
- Blended Wines – Blended Wines are made from fermentation of two or more varieties of grapes. Example of blended wine is Red Bordeaux, known in the UK as ‘Claret’, which is blended from of up to five varieties of grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
Blended wines are in no way inferior to varietal wines. Some of the world’s most valued and expensive wines, like those of Bordeaux depend on the blend to ensure their outstanding qualities.
Vintage wines are made from grapes grown in a single year, which will be specified on the label. The percentage of grapes used in making vintage wine can vary according to the country of origin. In US, it’s mandatory for a vintage wine to contain at least 95% of wine volume from grape varieties harvested in that single year, if it’s labelled with country of origin. Whereas if it is not labelled with country of origin then the limit is reduced to 85% of wine made of grapes grown in a single year. These wines are generally bottled in a single batch to maintain similar taste in each bottle. The price of vintage wines is generally higher than that of non-vintage wines but price should not be relied on as an indication of quality.
For more information on wines and wine tasting events in and around London, visit: http://www.winelines.co.uk
