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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).
To make everything simple with will touch mostly on the wines that are made from grapes alone. 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. The 1 mistake made by the early wine drinkers is that the juice from the grapes varies; this isn't the case as juice from either grape is colourless.
What does determine the color of the wine is whether the grape skins have been fermented with the wine or were they left out, red wines are fermented with there skins on and with white wine the skins have been left off and as for rose wine, well it is just a combination of the two wines Sparkling wines and champagne are carbonated, this is where carbon dioxide is enter into the mix, this process is achieved by fermenting the grape juice twice.
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. Past this basic taste testing, wine tasting enthusiasts have came up with a good method of classing wine, this would entail more levels of taste and the different smells that the wine releases. 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 get the highest quality wine from that year's harvest.
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