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What is wine like?

First of all, it is necessary to separate the concept of grape wine and fruit, berry and other types of exotic drinks. Here we are talking about grape wine.

This is a product obtained in the process of fermentation of natural grape juice. In the production of wine the main role is played not only by grapes but also by alcoholic yeast.

In the process of fermentation, they process the sugars of grapes into alcohol. Therefore, wine is considered exclusively an alcoholic beverage.

There are several characteristics that can be used to classify natural wines. It is necessary for the consumer to be able to navigate in a wide range of wines from different producers, and so on. So, consider the main characteristics.

According to the alcohol content

The alcohol content in wine depends on the amount of natural sugar in the grapes at the beginning of the fermentation process. Based on this, we can determine that the more ripe the berry, the more sugar it gives, and the higher the degree of wine.

The following wines can be divided by strength:

ꟷ Low-alcohol wine – a drink that has a strength of 6 to 11 degrees, for example, it can be sparkling wine;

ꟷ Strong wine – a drink with a natural strength of 14 to 16 degrees. It should be borne in mind that in white wines alcohol is more noticeable, so for them the gradation of strength begins lower than for red wines;

ꟷ Fortified wine is a wine in which, in addition to the natural alcohol obtained during fermentation, alcohol (grape distillate) is also added. The strength of these drinks is from 15 to 22 degrees. Fortified wine, for example, is port.

By color

Everyone knows the fact that the color of wine can determine many things: the age of the wine, grape variety, acidity, as well as to understand whether there are any unwanted changes in the drink. The true color of the wine can be seen in the center of the glass.

ꟷ Red wine – made from dark grapes. The red color of the drink provides the transition of anthocyanins (coloring pigments) from the skin of berries to the wort. Young wine can have a color from red to ruby, but the wine after many years of aging acquires a brown-orange hue and becomes paler over the years.

ꟷ White wine – made from white, sometimes red grapes. But in this case, under fermentation conditions, there should be no grape skin, which is able to color the drink. And the light shade is obtained precisely because of the lack of skin, because the flesh of grapes, as a rule, has no color. White wines can be from light straw to amber.

ꟷ Rose wine – red grapes are used in its production, but in such a way that the wort has a short contact with the pulp.

ꟷ Orange wine – refers to white, because it is made from white grapes, but it is made by the technology of red wine, ie with prolonged contact of the juice with the skin of berries, which makes their color, taste and aroma very rich. Orange wine has a deep yellow with an orange tinge, and sometimes a really orange color, can play with shades of bronze and amber.

By grape variety

According to varietal characteristics, wine can be divided into sepage, in other words – mono-varietal (made from one grape variety), and blended (made from a mixture of varieties). And if the wine is an excellent embodiment of a particular grape variety, its name will be indicated on the bottle label.

By sugar content

If in the process of fermentation alcoholic yeast has processed all the natural sugar from the juice of the berries, there is almost no sugar left in the wine. This wine is called dry, the residual sugar content is up to 4 g / l.

If the winemakers interrupted the fermentation process by force, then semi-sweet and sweet wines are obtained. Semi-sweet wine contains up to 50 g / l of residual sugars, sweet wine – more than 50 g / l.

By exposure

Certain varieties of wines over the years are able to develop a rich bouquet of aromas. They must be stored under certain conditions. Such wines are called aged. Aging wine is a time-consuming process, so it will be difficult to find cheap drinks in the category of such wines. There are also wines with an expiration date. Most often, they are stored at home for a couple of years.

In the presence of carbon dioxide

On this basis, distinguish between sparkling wines, in which winemakers store carbon dioxide trapped during fermentation, and still wines, which carbon dioxide leaves before bottling.

Originally

In some cases, the places where the grapes were grown and the wine was made may not match. However, the quality of the wine suffers from this. During transportation, berries may lose their properties and taste characteristics. Therefore, the importance of terroir is important for high-class wines.

There is table wine, wine material for which can be brought from another region, as well as wine controlled by origin. If the word “appeal” appears on the label of a bottle of wine, you can be sure that such wine was produced according to all the rules of winemaking.