Wine - A Comprehensive Study

To the purist, wine is an alcoholic drink made from thethe UK as 'Claret', which is blended from of up to five
fermentation of grapes. Grapes have a property ofvarieties of grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet
fermentation without the addition of any enzymes,Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
sugars, acids or other elements. Wine is producedBlended wines are in no way inferior to varietal wines.
after the fermentation of crushed grapes usingSome of the world's most valued and expensive
different types of yeasts that consumes sugar foundwines, like those of Bordeaux depend on the blend to
in grapes and converts that sugar into alcohol. Wineensure their outstanding qualities.
can be made using almost any fruit and a number ofVintage Wine
vegetables too. The resultant wine is usually namedVintage wines are made from grapes grown in a
according to its principle ingredient.single year, which will be specified on the label. The
Types of Winespercentage of grapes used in making vintage wine
According to number of grapes species used in winecan vary according to the country of origin. In US, it's
making, there are two types of wine:mandatory for a vintage wine to contain at least 95%
1. Varietal Wines - The wine, which is made primarilyof wine volume from grape varieties harvested in that
from fermentation of a single grape variety, is knownsingle year, if it's labeled with country of origin.
as Varietal Wine. You can identify the type of grapesWhereas if it is not labeled with country of origin then
used in making of a particular varietal wine fromthe limit is reduced to 85% of wine made of grapes
printed label. One fine example of a varietal wine isgrown in a single year. These wines are generally
Red Burgundy, made after fermentation of the singlebottled in a single batch to maintain similar taste in each
variety of 'Pinot Noir' grapes.bottle. The price of vintage wines is generally higher
2. Blended Wines - Blended Wines are made fromthan that of non-vintage wines but price should not be
fermentation of two or more varieties of grapes.relied on as an indication of quality.
Example of blended wine is Red Bordeaux, known in