Wine is a very wide spread term that is simply fruit being distilled and fermented for the product of an alcoholic drink. When most people think of wine they immediately think grapes, but there are so many different sources for wine production these include rice (sake), various fruits (elderberry, grapefruit, cherry, etc.), barley, and even honey (mead).

For the purposes of this wine article we will stick with wines produced solely from grapes. These are categorized by several means, of which include vinification methods, taste and lastly vintage. Many unknowing wine drinkers wouldn't care about the subtle differences in these categories, after all, most people rely completely on the taste of the wine. However, for many aficionados out there wine is a very intense passion.

Their wines must always meet the highest expectations everything must be spot on, the variety of the grape, the taste and vintage must all meet the highest standard before serious wine connoisseur's will consider purchasing a bottle.

Vinification

Vinification is the process by which grape juice is fermented into wine. The process of fermentation determines how the wine turns out and it is this quality that determines the price. A common misconception by the novice wine drinker is the colour of the grape juice varies, this is not so as the juice from a grape (red or white) is almost a clear liquid.

For wine colour determination it is essential that the skins or left on or kept off, red wines are made with the grape skins left on and with white grapes the skins have been removed, rose wine is the 2 varieties of wine mixed. For carbonated wines such as champagne the key here is to add carbon dioxide to the wine production, the grape juice here ferments twice to achieve perfection.

The 1st fermentation takes place in opened vats this allows all the C02 to be released. Then for the 2nd fermentation the vats are closed, this has the effect of keeping all the carbon dioxide in and mixed with the wine.

Taste

Most wines are described as dry, off-dry, fruity, or sweet. This is a direct result of the amount of sugar that is left over after the fermentation process has ended, Dry wine has very little sugar content, while a sweeter wine has a higher sugar content. Beyond this basic taste analysis, wine-tasting enthusiasts have developed a system of wine classification, this entails the more in depth the tastes and the more aromas the wine gives off. Many less informed on wine find this system hard to grasp, but the seasoned wine drinker consider the ability to discern even the most subtle elements of a wines taste to be a great achievement. As a good example, Cabernet Sauvignon which is loved everywhere around the world has been said to taste of currants, tobacco, chocolate and mint.

Vintage

Vintage is a straight forward classification when wine is concerned, this refers to the year of the grapes harvest from which the wine was produced. This is important because many grape growers have exceptionally good harvests only during certain years. In addition to this the very finest grapes are specially set aside to be used in the making of special vintage bottles. You then reap the best quality wine from the good harvest that year.