Wine can be an intimidating subject to tackle. Whether you're headed to a winery for your first wine tasting, talking to a waiter at a restaurant, or trying to pick up a bottle for a dinner with your significant other, the subject of wine can be overwhelming. While there are many subtleties, differences and unique qualities of wine, there are some general and simple characteristics too.
All wine is made from the fermented juice of grapes. The process of fermentation is the breakdown of sugar into carbon dioxide (CO2) and alcohol. Sugar is a natural ingredient found in all grapes. Yeast, the catalyst of turning sugar into alcohol, is a natural substance already held in the skin of grapes. Below is a general overview of the three main types of wine and the winemaking process.
Red Wine
Red wine is made from red grapes that are gathered and put into a crushing machine to remove the stems. The crushing process is what brings out color from the skins. Fermentation is then used to turn a desired amount of sugar into alcohol depending on how dry or sweet the wine is intended to be. The average amount of alcohol in most red wines is 13-15%. For sweeter red wine, fermentation is stopped before all the sugar is used up, and alcohol is then added to get the mixture to it's 13-15% alcohol content. Dry wine is made by fermenting all the sugar to alchohol. The wine is then placed is wooden barrels for aging.
White Wine
The process for white wine is very similar to that of red, but with a few key differences. White and red grapes are both fed into the crushing machines to remove the stems breaks free the grape pulp. For white wine, the crushing machine then removes the colored skins. After this, similarly to red wine, dry white wine is allowed to naturally ferment, while sweet white wine has unfermented sugars left in the liquid, and alcohol added. White wine is generally stored and aged in stainless steel as opposed to oak barrels and is generally served chilled.
Champagne
True champagne can only be produced from grapes grown in the champagne region of France. The hallmark difference in champagne is that there is a second fermentation process that takes place in the bottle. The grape harvesting and crushing process is similar to that of red and white wine.
This is a basic overview of the universal steps included in winemaking and wine types. The quality and cost is determined by the aging, growing and harvesting process of the various grapes. White wine grapes include pinot grigio, riesling and chardonnay grapes. Red wine grapes include cabernet, pinot noir and norton grapes to name a few.
All wine is made from the fermented juice of grapes. The process of fermentation is the breakdown of sugar into carbon dioxide (CO2) and alcohol. Sugar is a natural ingredient found in all grapes. Yeast, the catalyst of turning sugar into alcohol, is a natural substance already held in the skin of grapes. Below is a general overview of the three main types of wine and the winemaking process.
Red Wine
Red wine is made from red grapes that are gathered and put into a crushing machine to remove the stems. The crushing process is what brings out color from the skins. Fermentation is then used to turn a desired amount of sugar into alcohol depending on how dry or sweet the wine is intended to be. The average amount of alcohol in most red wines is 13-15%. For sweeter red wine, fermentation is stopped before all the sugar is used up, and alcohol is then added to get the mixture to it's 13-15% alcohol content. Dry wine is made by fermenting all the sugar to alchohol. The wine is then placed is wooden barrels for aging.
White Wine
The process for white wine is very similar to that of red, but with a few key differences. White and red grapes are both fed into the crushing machines to remove the stems breaks free the grape pulp. For white wine, the crushing machine then removes the colored skins. After this, similarly to red wine, dry white wine is allowed to naturally ferment, while sweet white wine has unfermented sugars left in the liquid, and alcohol added. White wine is generally stored and aged in stainless steel as opposed to oak barrels and is generally served chilled.
Champagne
True champagne can only be produced from grapes grown in the champagne region of France. The hallmark difference in champagne is that there is a second fermentation process that takes place in the bottle. The grape harvesting and crushing process is similar to that of red and white wine.
This is a basic overview of the universal steps included in winemaking and wine types. The quality and cost is determined by the aging, growing and harvesting process of the various grapes. White wine grapes include pinot grigio, riesling and chardonnay grapes. Red wine grapes include cabernet, pinot noir and norton grapes to name a few.
About the Author:
To find out more about the basics of wine, wine making and how to become a bartender, click on the blue hyperlink to find out more!. Check here for free reprint license: Become A Bartender: Wine Basics.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment