Wine can be an intimidating subject to tackle. Whether you're headed to a winery for your first wine tasting, talking to a waiter at a restaurant, or trying to pick up a bottle for a dinner with your significant other, the subject of wine can be overwhelming. While there are many subtleties, differences and unique qualities of wine, there are some general and simple characteristics too.
Here is some general wine knowledge and guidelines.
Red Wine
Red grapes are collected in vineyards and put into a crushing machine that removes all of the grape stems. In addition to stem removal, the crushing process also brings out in the wine the color from the skins. Depending on the degree of "dryness" for the wine, fermentation is continued to turn the preferred amount of sugar into alcohol. The average amount of alcohol this process produces is 13-15%. Fermentation is stopped before all the sugar is used up to make a sweeter wine. Alcohol is then added to the sweetened wine to give it its 13-15% alcohol content. Dry red wine is created when all of the sugars in the grape pulp are fermented. The wine is then placed in wooden barrels for aging. French oak is one of the more traditional and popular storage units for dry red wine.
White Wine
The process for making white wine is very similar to red. Grapes are harvested, both white and red, and put into a crusher to remove all the stems and break up the pulp. The main difference is the removal of all colored skins to take away any red coloration. Sweet wine is then made by stopping fermentation early to leave sugar, and then adding alcohol to get the desired 13-15% alcohol content. White wine is generally stored in stainless steel as opposed to wooden barrels, and aged appropriately.
Champagne
True champagne technically only comes from grapes grown in the "champagne" region of France. The key difference between champagne and wine is that there is actually a second fermenation process that occurs in the bottle to create alcohol and carbon dioxide for bite. The crushing process of champagne grapes is similar to that of wine.
This is a basic overview of the universal steps included in winemaking and wine types. The quality and cost is determined by the aging, growing and harvesting process of the various grapes. White wine grapes include pinot grigio, riesling and chardonnay grapes. Red wine grapes include cabernet, pinot noir and norton grapes to name a few.
Here is some general wine knowledge and guidelines.
Red Wine
Red grapes are collected in vineyards and put into a crushing machine that removes all of the grape stems. In addition to stem removal, the crushing process also brings out in the wine the color from the skins. Depending on the degree of "dryness" for the wine, fermentation is continued to turn the preferred amount of sugar into alcohol. The average amount of alcohol this process produces is 13-15%. Fermentation is stopped before all the sugar is used up to make a sweeter wine. Alcohol is then added to the sweetened wine to give it its 13-15% alcohol content. Dry red wine is created when all of the sugars in the grape pulp are fermented. The wine is then placed in wooden barrels for aging. French oak is one of the more traditional and popular storage units for dry red wine.
White Wine
The process for making white wine is very similar to red. Grapes are harvested, both white and red, and put into a crusher to remove all the stems and break up the pulp. The main difference is the removal of all colored skins to take away any red coloration. Sweet wine is then made by stopping fermentation early to leave sugar, and then adding alcohol to get the desired 13-15% alcohol content. White wine is generally stored in stainless steel as opposed to wooden barrels, and aged appropriately.
Champagne
True champagne technically only comes from grapes grown in the "champagne" region of France. The key difference between champagne and wine is that there is actually a second fermenation process that occurs in the bottle to create alcohol and carbon dioxide for bite. The crushing process of champagne grapes is similar to that of wine.
This is a basic overview of the universal steps included in winemaking and wine types. The quality and cost is determined by the aging, growing and harvesting process of the various grapes. White wine grapes include pinot grigio, riesling and chardonnay grapes. Red wine grapes include cabernet, pinot noir and norton grapes to name a few.
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