The first reference about this important beverage dates from the ancient Greece, wine used to be consumed mixed with water and it was conserved in goatskin. There is also a reference written on the Holy Bible that tells that Noah planted vineyards inside his arc and people got drunk for the first time.

 

Since the beginning and along the times, wine has been appreciated especially for the high society, being the most important witness at any social gathering and remarkable activities. Wine has taken a great part of history by being the most popular drink consumed during historical events.

 

Egypt, Greece and Rome created each other a God of Wine in order to adore such an appreciated drink. Dionisio and Baco were their gods that represented fertility and drunkenness. In the Holy Bible there are also many quotations about wine and the most important one is the Last Supper, one of several major events in the earthly life of Jesus Christ. The Last Supper is a description of the last meal Jesus Christ had with His disciples prior to His arrest and crucifixion. Serving His disciples bits of bread and telling them the bread were His flesh and serving them wine and telling them the wine were His blood. The Last Supper became into the origin of the sacramental ritual of the Eucharist in Christian religion. Wine took part of this historical event.

 

It is also known that in China, four thousand years ago, they already knew the process of grape fermentation and in Egypt they knew about wine culture already during 4^th Century B.C. Julius Caesar had a great passion for wine and he introduced it in all his roman empire.

 

It is attributed to Carlomagno Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire the creation of the biggest vineyards throughout his Empire; however those wines lacked in quality until 12^th century when they began to have good productions and commercialize it massively.

 

Pierre Perignon introduced for the first time bottles with cork.

 

By the 19^th century, wine had suffered many alterations causing a big loss. Wines of a same production that were kept in same barrels aged differently, this problem was solved when Pasteur discovered that painted barrels did not let the air penetrates in. Wine needs air in order to ferment properly.

 

At the moment, France is not the only country in producing great wines as it used to be for tradition, but it is in the whole Europe that great productions and different types of wines are being produced. Countries like Spain, Portugal, Italia, Hungary and Germany are very well know for their high quality wines. In addition to these countries, there is also Chile in South America to name a few.

 

Enology comes from the Greek: eno that means wine is the science that is linked directly with the wine appearance, since this is an art that gets all the knowledge about wine production together.

 

Since long time ago, it was well known that some wines are good to drink them just fermented; on the other hand there are wines that during the years get an outstanding quality inside of oak barrels. For these reasons there was important to establish many studies and observations about wines behaviors in order to get the best results.

 

Pasteur is the first man dedicated to the Enology and with his studies and observations about wine; he created series of progressive research to improve quality and conservation of wines. Being an enologist requires nowadays a lot of preparation and education.

 

WINE CLASSIFICATION

 

In the Wines World there are two standard methods of classifying wines:

 

• By Region (e.g. Bordeaux)

• By Grape Type (e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon)

 

Wines in Europe are strictly defined by where they are made: Champagne, it only comes from the Champagne region of France, Porto is the wine that grows exclusively in Porto a valley in Portugal. If these wines are made in different areas, even using the same type of grapes, then they have to use a different name.

 

Most European wines list on the bottles the region where the wine comes from but not the list of grape varietal as they do in newer areas such as the US, South America and Australia, where wines are usually promoted based on the grapes, which are made with and not by the region.

 

FAMOUS WINES IN THE WORLD

 

GERMANY

 

The best German wines are white, featured by its low alcohol contain (8%-11%) and little trace of sweetness. They are named for geographic locations.

RHINE VALLEY has three subsections:

• Rheingau: Johannisberg and Rudesheim.

• Rheinhessen: Liebfraumilch, Niersteiner and Oppenheimer

• Rheinpfalz Deidesheim

MOSELLE RIVER flows into the Rhine, it is famous for wines that come from Piesport, Bernkastel and Ockfen.

NORTHERN GERMAN wines are produced with grapes such as: Riesling, Sylvaner, Muller-Thurgau and Gewurztraminer. These wines feature for its light, flowery character with delicate bouquet.

QUALITATSWEIN means “Quality Wine” this type of wine is regulated and the label specifies quality of production, general site or Grossloge, individual site or Einzellage district or Bereich, bottler’s name and address, Grape and State or Erzeugerabfullung, and a certificate number registered by the local authorities.

Categories:

• Tafelwein: light table wine

• Qualitatswein bestimmter Anbaugebiet or Qba: quality wine from certain areas, sugar may be added.

• Qualitatswein mit Pradikat or Qmp: quality wine with special attributes, sugar may not be added, under tighter regulation than Qba wines:

 

Kabinett – it is the driest wine from a given vineyard or producer in any vintage.

Spatlese – from the late harvest; riper, fuller bodied and generally sweeter.

Auslese - specially selected, ripe and perfect bunches; sweeter, more rare, and more expensive.

Beerenauslese - exceedingly rare, individually picked grape berries. It is a very rich and rare dessert wine.

Trockenbeerenauslese – made from individually picked grapes left on the vine until they become raisins. Made only in great vintage years.

Eiswein - made from the first pressing of frozen grapes. It is elegant and rich, but not as intense as a Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese.

 

FRANCE

 

The best wines in the world are considered French wines. With many factors combined such as geography, technique, grapes variety and heritage have gotten altogether to create the most important wines in the world. The most important regions where wine is produced are:

 

• ALSACE produces basically white wines named after the type of grape that has been used: Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, etc. Dry wines; clean tasting, fresh and with a flowery bouquet.
  

• BORDEAUX is divided into many sub-regions and communes or chateaux. Most famous red wines come from this region in France such as Chateaux Margaux, Latour, Lafite Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild, Haut-Brion and D’Yquem. Full-bodied wines have long life and made predominantly from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc Grapes. Dry wines are crisp, full bodied, and superb as food wines. Sweet white wines from Sauternes and Barzac are the most delicious in the world.

• BURGUNDY is famous for wines from Cote D’Or (Golden Slope) it is a region that from south of Dijon to Beaune. Made with Pinot Noir (for red wine) or Chardonnay (for white wine) grapes. They are named after the commune such as Pommard, Beaune, Nuits-Saint-Georges or the name of the vineyard plot such as Richebourg, Bonnes Mares and sometimes they carry both names. Red wines from this area have warmth, fruit and bouquet. White wines are rich, buttery and full-bodied. Chablis district in northwest Burgundy produces the most famous white Burgundies. It is called Chablis and it must be made only from Chardonnay grapes. The higher grades such as Grands Crus and Premier Crus are limited in production. The best vintage wines are pale, very dry and with a clean flinty taste.

• Beaujolais southern Burgundy produces red wine from Gamay grapes.  It is a light; fruity, versatile wine excellent choice with meals.

• CHAMPAGNE is a region in France where Champagne the most famous wine in the world for its use in many occasion is produced. Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay are the three grape varieties that make Champagne great. Only in this type of wine is that the brand names have a more important role than the vineyard or district name they were made in. E.g. Moet et Chandon, Mumm, Tattinger, Piper Heidsieck, Laurent Perrier. Champagne process is expensive and long since it requires of two fermentations, last one occurs in the bottle under great pressure. After that, the bottles of Champagne are put onto racks for months or years creating sediment that settles and it is removed in order to add a dosage that determines the wine’s sweetness before final corking. The Champagne is graded according to dryness: Nature or bone dry, Brut, Extra Dry and Sec (Sweet). Unlike other wines, Champagne doesn’t improve with age after is recorked.

• LOIRE VALLEY is a region extending along the Loire River. Its wines are mainly white from Chenin Blanc grape or Sauvignon Blanc. They also produce some sparkling wines cheaper than Champagne. The most popular wines from this region are Muscadet, Vouvray, Sancerre and Rose d’Anjou.

•  CÔTES DU RHONE vineyards extend along the Rhone River, south of Burgundy. White wines are not very common but they featured as full-bodied, earthy and long-lived wines. Red wines are made in Cote Rotie, Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage; they are distinguished for being fine wines in quality and bouquet. They are made mainly from Syrah grape and some Grenache. Wines from Southern Rhone are long-lived, warm, heady and with a marked tannin content: Chateauneuf du Pape and Gigondas. Rose wine is also produced: the Tavel.

 

INTERESTING TO KNOW

If the label of the bottle of wine you have has the term Appellation Controlee means that this wine is officially recognized and legally defined by the government to be grown and produced by a specific method from a specific area. This doesn’t guarantee quality but it does guarantee that the wine is genuine. Most fine French wines have this mark.

 

SPAIN / PORTUGAL

The most important and best Spanish wines come from Rioja, which is a district near the Pyrenees and the French border. This wine is outstanding for its process since it has been aged during three to five years in oak barrels with Bordelaise techniques. White wines are crisp, clean and inviting. Spain is well known for its Sherry (Jerez) and very good sparkling wines.

Portugal on the other hand produces the most popular dessert wine: Port wine. The two best known are Lancers and Mateus. The most expensive is Vintage Port that requires 10 to 50 years to mature. Ruby and Tawny Ports are less expensive; these have been aged in wood from 1 to 4 years. They are all sweet, intense, and fortified dessert wines.

 

ITALY

 

Italy is the only country in the world where they produce more than 5 thousand varieties of wine. Wines are named after the town or district they come from or from the name of grape that is used to make them. Piedmont in Northern Italy is known for its Bartolo and Barbaresco, which are red wines, Gavi is a high quality white wine and for a sweet sparkling wine they have Anti Spumante. Vermouth is also produced in Piedmont and its trading center is Turin, the capital.

The wine from Chianti, which is a district in Florence, is light and fruity or heavy and tannic. Chianti is best known for its straw-covered bottle, or fiasco. Brunello di Montalcino from Tuscany is another kind of red wine comparable to the best Bordeaux.

White wines are crisp, assertive and ready to open; this type of wine has improved through the years by applying a modern technique in the process.
In addition to the traditional wine countries, during recent years there are many other countries that got linked to the wine world for their excellent quality and low price, becoming that way into good alternatives to French wines.

 

AUSTRALIA

 

Australia produces wines such as Cabernet and Pinot Noir. Cabernet Shiraz or Syrah are notable. White wines are light and flowery.

 

BULGARIA, YUGOSLAVIA, ROMANIA

 

They produce basically inexpensive red and white table wines. Brands like Trakia, Avia and Premiat are popular there.

 

CHILE

 

They produce wines from original European plantings such as Cabernet, Merlot, and Riesling. Reservado or Gran Vino are superior grades and are showed on the labels. White wine and sparkling wine are also produced enjoying of a good quality.

 

HUNGARY

 

Tokay is the most famous wine; it is a delicious and long-lived dessert wine. Egri Bikaver (bull’s blood) is also popular; this is a vigorous red wine.

 

USA

 

American names are generally named after the variety of grapes such as: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, etc. California is the state that produces 70% of all American wines. Compared with some fine wines of Europe, they produce sparkling wines using French methods from Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir grapes. Ports and Vermouths are also produced in large quantities.  American wines are basically made from three types of grapes:

 

1. Native Grapes: Concord, Delaware, and Isabella. These are grapes that grow naturally and are used to make sweet flavored wines called Foxy.
2. Hybrid Grapes: Seyyal Blanc, Baco Noir, and Mareschal Foch, these grapes have been crossbred with other types of grapes and grow in harsh climates. They are generally good and range from sweet to dry.
3. Varietal Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Chenin Blanc, and Pinot Noir are made from varietal grapes. These kinds of wines must contain at least 75% of the grape on the label.