Introduction
to Wine
What
is wine?
Wine has been made for centuries from just a two simple ingredients:
yeast and grape juice. Actually, just about any fruit juice
can be used, but by far the majority of all wine is made from
the juice of the grape.
How
is wine made?
Yeast
is the magical ingredient that turns grape juice into wine.
Interestingly enough, there is actually wild yeast spores
in the air and all that is really needed to make wine is an
open container of grape juice and time. The result however,
would probably not be the most palatable of beverages.
There
are numerous strains of yeasts and the types used to make
wine have been cultured just for this purpose. Well anyway,
yeast is a living organism that feeds off of sugars in the
grape juice in a process called fermentation.
During
fermentation, yeast spores will reproduce exponentially until
all of the fermentable sugars have been consumed. During this
fermentation process, the sugars are converted into alcohol
and carbon dioxide.
The
yeast will also impart a taste to the finished wine depending
on various factors such as the strain of yeast used, the temperature
during fermentation and other factors.
Once
all of the fermentable sugars have been consumed, the yeast
will fall to the bottom of the container. The wine is removed
from the container, leaving the yeast, and is trasferred to
another container to mature while waiting to be bottled.
Of
course, this whole process has been extremely simplified for
a general understanding.
How
does wine get its color?
You
probably know that there are green grapes and black grapes
and different grapes are used to make different wines.
What
you might not know is that almost all grape juice (even from
the black grapes) is basically colorless to golden in color.
The way a wine gets its color is by letting the skins soak
in the juice during fermentation. You can actually make white
wine from black grapes by not letting the skins stay in contact
with the juice. Champagne
is one of the most famous examples.
If
the skins are left in the wine for only a short amount of
time, a rose (or blush) will be made. If they are left for
an extended amount of time, a dark red wine will be the result.
What
gives each wine its taste?
Even
though there are very few ingredients, there are many things
which influence the taste of wine.
First of all, there are many varieties of grapes. Each grape
variety will produce different flavors, aromas, and even textures.
In
addition, the soil and climate where the grapes are grown
drastically affect these variables.
Not
only that, but the wine maker can control various things by
the technique, temperature and yeast used during fermentation.
Other variables such as fermenting or storing in oak barrels
will also affect the taste.
Never
fear, with all of these factors considered even the most avid
wine drinker would ever be able to experience all of the different
varieties of wine on the market today. Let the treasure hunting
begin!
What
is tannin?
Tannin
is a substance in wine that causes a firm, mouth-drying feeling
in your mouth. It is extracted from the skins, seeds and stems
of the grapes so red wines will contain more tannin than whites.
White
wines will get a degree of tannin when oak barrels are used
for fermentation or aging. Eat just the skins of grapes or
drink strongly brewed, unsweetened tea for a good idea of
what tannin feels like in your mouth.
What
are sulfites?
By
law, almost all wine made in the United States will have “Contains
Sulfites” on the label. This is because about very small
percentage of asthma sufferers can be extremely sensitive
to sulfites.
Sulfites
or sulfur dioxide is a compound occurring naturally during
the fermentation process. Sometimes, though a wine maker will
add a little more because of its antibacterial and preservative
qualities. White wines have more sulfites than red wines because
they need more protection.
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