BBC - h2g2 - Wine

Wine is one of the oldest beverages known, it even predates written history. It has been made since before 4.000 B.C. It was made by the Egyptians and was known throughout the world (it is mentioned in the Bible many times). It is made 100% out of grapes. The alcohol content of wine is around 12.5% (25 proof). The probable origin of wine is in the Mediterrenean. Wine was spread througout Europe by tradesmen, armies, etc...

The grapes are picked when they are ripe (September - October in the Northern Hemisphere) and crushed. The stems are taken out. The juice of all wine varieties is white. The red wines gain their colour from the dark skins in red grapes during the fermentation proccess. Once they have been fermented, they are placed in casks to age. After the wine has aged, they are bottled.

The things that you should look for in a wine are taste, aroma, and colour. If the colour is deep, then it has a full flavour. If it looks murky, you know something happened to its taste. The aroma is important because taste depends on the nose. White wines should have fruity flavours while red wines should have berrylike flavours. The important thing in taste is that you like it. You should look for dryness/sweetness, acidity, lightness/heavyness.

Wines with corks should be stored either upside down or on their sides to prevent the cork from drying up. If the cork dries up, then air can enter the bottle and oxidize/spoil the wine. Before serving a wine, you should decanter it to get rid of the sediment that is produced as it ages. Red wines should be served at 65�F while white wines and champagne should be served at 45�F.

WINE TERMS

Acidity - term used to indicate pleasent tartness or sharpness.

Aroma - portion of wine's odor derived from grape variety and fermentation.

Balance - a tasting term for the complete harmony of the wine's components.

Body - the fullness of wine on the palate.

Bouquet - the odor developed after being bottled.

Dry - abscence of sweetness.

Enology - the study of winemaking.

Fermentation - the process of converting the grape sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide by the addition of yeast.

Generic wine - wine made form a variety of grapes in which no one flavour dominates.

Nose - the total odor of the wine, including the aroma, bouquet, and other factors.

Residual sugar - the natural grape sugar left in the wine that determines the sweetness.

Tannin - the components in a wine that have an astrigent, puckery, and a mouth-drying aftertaste.

Variety wine- wine made up of 3/4 of one type of grape.

Vintage wine - wine from grapes of harvested in one given year and 95% of a type of grapes.