"Good wine is a necessity of life for me." -- Thomas Jefferson
Wine is an alcoholic beverage typically made from fermented fruit, usually grapes (hence the word "wine" from Latin vinum, "wine"). However, so-called country wines or fruit wines are made from anything that can be fermented, from flowers like dandelion (with added sugar), to berries, apples, stone fruits, vegetables, and even root crops like potatoes. Wine not made from grapes is generally qualified by the name of its major ingredient, for example, elderberry wine. Mead is sometimes called honey wine. Brandy is a distilled wine. The remainder of this article discusses grape wine, almost always made from vitis vinifera.
There are many types, kinds, and classifications of wine. Historically, wines have been known by names reflecting their origin, and sometimes style: Bordeaux, Rioja, and Chianti are all effectively trade names, reflecting the most popular wines produce by the named region. These "appellations" (as they are known in French) frequently dictate not only where the grapes in a wine were grown, but also which grapes went into the wine and how they were vinified. The appellation system is strongest in the European Union, but also controls regional labels in America, such as "Napa Valley," "Willamette Valley", etc (see Wine producing regions).
These historical designations can be confusing. For example, in the European Union, wine labeled "Champagne" must be made from grapes grown and fermented in the Champagne region of France. America (except the state of Oregon) and Canada confuse this system by using some European appellations as generic wine names, such as chablis, champagne, port, burgundy. Oregon law prohibits the use of geographical names or foreign appellations on wine labels: wines must be labelled by varietal, if the composition permits, or proprietary names may be used for blends.
The following appellation names have legal standing in some countries, but may be used generically in others:
Some blended wines are marketing terms, with little or no standard definition:
- Meritage is generally a Bordeaux-style blend of Carbernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and may also include Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec.
- Pinotage
As vintners and consumers have become aware of the characteristics of individual varieties of vitis vinifera, wines have also come to be identified by varietal names: Merlot, Tempranillo, and Sangiovese. Varietal wines are made primarily from a single variety of grape. Many states in the USA require specific compositions for varietal labels: for example, in Oregon must be identified by the grape varietal from which it was made and must contain at least 95% of that varietal.
Some varietal wine examples :
- Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc
- Chardonnay
- Cabernet Franc
- Merlot and White Merlot
- Zinfandel and White Zinfandel
- Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris
- San Giovese
- Moscato
- Syrah or Shiraz
Next, wines may be classified by year of harvest (vintage). Vintage wines are generally made from grapes of a single year's harvest of a single variety, and so are dated. Many wines improve in flavor as they age and so wine enthusiasts often save bottles of a favorite vintage wine to enjoy in a few years' time. For most types of wine, the best-quality grapes and the most care in winemaking are employed on vintage wines - thus, they are generally more expensive than non-vintage varieties. Whilst a vintage wine is generally made in a single batch and thus each bottle from a particular vintage will taste the same, climactic factors tend to change the character of vintage wines grown from the same vines somewhat from year to year. Good vintages, particularly of premium grapes, therefore often sell for much more than average years. Some vintage wines are only made in better-than-average years.
Next, wines may also be classified by vinification methods: sparkling, still, fortified, rosé, etc. The colour of wine is determined by the presence or absence of the grape skin during fermentation, rather than (just) by the colour of the grape. Red wine is made from red (or black) grapes and the skin is left in. White wine can be made from any colour of grape, but the skin is removed prior to fermentation - but a white wine made from a very dark grape may appear pink or "blush". Rosé is a cross between the two - the skin of red grapes is left in for a short time.
Fortified wines are often sweeter, always more alcoholic wines that have had their fermentation process stopped by the addition of a spirit such as Brandy. Examples are:
It is also possible to classify wines by their primary impression on the drinker's palate. Wines may be described as dry, off-dry, fruity, or sweet, for example. Specific flavors such as cherry, vanilla (usually from vinification in new oak barrels), new-mown grass, brine, raisins, etc. may also appear on wine-tasters' notepads.
Some other miscellanous wine-related terms that need to be covered at some point:
See also Wine producing regions
See also Wine Is Not an Emulator.