Wine 101
Understanding wine basics might seem like a complicated process, but in reality, it’s rather easy to understand. Viticulture, or the growing of grapes for wine, has been a time-honored tradition for literally thousands of years. The practice is so old that it is even mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible. But wine basics have remained traditionally the same, with just a few additional practices, thanks to the onset of modern technology.
Wine comes from a variety of grapes, but don’t confuse grapes used for viticulture with those you find at your local grocer. Unlike the grapes you eat, wine grapes are usually tart and bitter in taste. Understanding wine basics means knowing the grapes available to winemakers. Wine grapes are numerous in varietals, but many vineyards all over the world rely on a few basic types. The main variety of red grapes used in winemaking are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah (Shiraz in Australia), Zinfandel and Gamay. There are several white grape varieties used in winemaking. They are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Chenin Blanc.
The color of wine is derived from how the juices of grapes are processed. A quick note before delving into the “pulp” of wine basics; the color of wine is not always a result of the color of the grape. Wines get their color from the skins of the grape, not from the juice. To make red wine, the red grape skins are infused with the juices while it is going through the fermentation process. White wine on the other hand, is devoid of the skins during the fermentation process. The sugars from the juice mix with yeast to release the color from the skins during fermentation. This is why there are a few red grape varietals that can be used in making white wine, so long as the skins are removed completely from the juices before it is fermented.
To know wine basics, you need to comprehend how wine is made. Growing wine is more than just sticking a plant in the ground, watering it and hoping it produces grapes. You have to choose a variety of grape plants based on how well it will grow in your region’s soil conditions. This is why only certain regions in the world are capable of successfully producing wine. Because grapes provide wine its flavor, the type of soil a plant grows in is very important to how it will taste after it’s bottled. Soil is not the only thing to know about wine basics, the climate, how much rain an area gets each year and what fertilizers are used all play a role in how a grape plant develops.
When a vineyard is ready to produce wine, the grape plants are harvested. In olden times, this process was accomplished by hand. But with modern technology, most vineyards have special machines to harvest the grapes off the vine. After they are harvested, the grapes are de-stemmed and then pressed in special machines to release the juice from the skins. After the skins and stems are discarded, the juice is then placed in either an oak barrel or in a stainless steel barrel. This is where the fermentation process, or the addition yeast, is performed.
The yeast mixes with the sugars from the juice and results in carbon dioxide, which eventually dissipates. It is during the fermentation process where the alcohol of the wine is created. After the carbon dioxide has dissipated, the remaining mixture sits in the barrel (oak or stainless steel) to ferment longer until all the sugar has vanished. Depending on what flavor the producer wants will determine if the yeast is removed after fermentation is finished.
The wine continues to age in the barrel before it is drained and bottled. The barrel will give the wine a lot of its flavor, which is why some wine growers rely on oak barrels and others prefer the stainless steel barrels. In terms of knowing wine basics, the type of barrel used depends entirely on the producer’s preferences in how he or she wants the wine to taste later on. White wines are not aged as long as red wines and the aging processes are even more complex for dessert wines and champagnes.
- Samantha Rhodes
Wine comes from a variety of grapes, but don’t confuse grapes used for viticulture with those you find at your local grocer. Unlike the grapes you eat, wine grapes are usually tart and bitter in taste. Understanding wine basics means knowing the grapes available to winemakers. Wine grapes are numerous in varietals, but many vineyards all over the world rely on a few basic types. The main variety of red grapes used in winemaking are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah (Shiraz in Australia), Zinfandel and Gamay. There are several white grape varieties used in winemaking. They are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Chenin Blanc.
The color of wine is derived from how the juices of grapes are processed. A quick note before delving into the “pulp” of wine basics; the color of wine is not always a result of the color of the grape. Wines get their color from the skins of the grape, not from the juice. To make red wine, the red grape skins are infused with the juices while it is going through the fermentation process. White wine on the other hand, is devoid of the skins during the fermentation process. The sugars from the juice mix with yeast to release the color from the skins during fermentation. This is why there are a few red grape varietals that can be used in making white wine, so long as the skins are removed completely from the juices before it is fermented.
To know wine basics, you need to comprehend how wine is made. Growing wine is more than just sticking a plant in the ground, watering it and hoping it produces grapes. You have to choose a variety of grape plants based on how well it will grow in your region’s soil conditions. This is why only certain regions in the world are capable of successfully producing wine. Because grapes provide wine its flavor, the type of soil a plant grows in is very important to how it will taste after it’s bottled. Soil is not the only thing to know about wine basics, the climate, how much rain an area gets each year and what fertilizers are used all play a role in how a grape plant develops.
When a vineyard is ready to produce wine, the grape plants are harvested. In olden times, this process was accomplished by hand. But with modern technology, most vineyards have special machines to harvest the grapes off the vine. After they are harvested, the grapes are de-stemmed and then pressed in special machines to release the juice from the skins. After the skins and stems are discarded, the juice is then placed in either an oak barrel or in a stainless steel barrel. This is where the fermentation process, or the addition yeast, is performed.
The yeast mixes with the sugars from the juice and results in carbon dioxide, which eventually dissipates. It is during the fermentation process where the alcohol of the wine is created. After the carbon dioxide has dissipated, the remaining mixture sits in the barrel (oak or stainless steel) to ferment longer until all the sugar has vanished. Depending on what flavor the producer wants will determine if the yeast is removed after fermentation is finished.
The wine continues to age in the barrel before it is drained and bottled. The barrel will give the wine a lot of its flavor, which is why some wine growers rely on oak barrels and others prefer the stainless steel barrels. In terms of knowing wine basics, the type of barrel used depends entirely on the producer’s preferences in how he or she wants the wine to taste later on. White wines are not aged as long as red wines and the aging processes are even more complex for dessert wines and champagnes.
- Samantha Rhodes
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