Different Types of Wine

Wine is the drink of the well heeled, it it is the toast of high society, and the best wine has conquered the best men of great tastes.

Wine has been known to humankind as early as 6000 to 4000 BC. The earliest evidence have been seen in Georgia and Iran. Wine has played an important role in ceremonies and celebrations ever since.

Wine is prepared from the fermentation of unmodified grape juice and is therefore an alcoholic beverage. Grapes do not need any acids, sugars, enzymes or other nutrients for fermentation. Therefore wine is one of the most natural drinks around. There are also many types of wine in the market today.

Mixing wine with any fruit like apple or elderberry will make it fruit wine. Other ingredients like barley and rice wine are more starch based. Gingerwine is a type of wine which is fortified with brandy.

Other than these, the main types of wine are red wine and white wine. These types are basically dependent on the types of grapes used. The colour of the wine does not depend on the juice of the grape, as grape juice is almost always clear. The colour of the wine is determined with either

the presence or non-presence of the grape skin during fermentation. Though red wine is prepared from red grapes, it gets it red color from a further process called maceration. Red wine is prepared from red or black grapes. There are hundreds of varieties of grapes and therefore there are many types of wines. The variety of grapes is the most important factor as regards the taste of the wine. White wine can be prepared from color of grape. White wines prepared from very dark grapes have a pinkish color.

One of the most popular types of red wines are the cabaret sauvignon. The Cabaret sauvignon wines from the Bordeaux region of France are the most used red wines. Merlot wines are also a famous type of red wine.

These wines may have a flavor of chocolate and cherry. Grenache is another famous type of red wine from Burgundy in France. Grenache may have hints of raspberries, mint and black cherries. Another famous type of red wine is the Zinfandel. It is prepared in Europe and grown mostly in California.

Chardonnay is a famous type of white wine. It contains a hint of vanilla along with a fruit tinge. California cultivates the Chenin Blancs type of white wine. Chenin Blancs is a poor man's alternative to Chardonnay. Chenin Blancs contain tastes of apple and spice. Another type of white
wine is the Pinot Gris. It is prepared in Oregon is has a rich spicy flavour. Riesling is a German white wine and has a fruit flavor to it. The White Zinfandel is a white wine prepared in California. It has a sweet taste. White Zinfandel is prepared by processing red zinfandel grapes after peeling their skin off.

Wines are generally classified according to their alcoholic content. Sparkling wines such have carbon dioxide in it. This is achieved either during fermentation of processes after the fermentation. These wines are generally fermented twice, once in a open container and the second time in a sealed container to keep the gas inside the wine.

Dessert wines are generally sweet wines and have a high sugar content in them. Other much sweeter wines are the Fortified wines. Fortified wines also have a higher alcoholic content as compared to other wines. Fortified wines have their fermentation process stopped by either the addition of a spirit or the increase in the level of spirit.

Cooking wines have a higher quantity of salt in them. Cooking wine of poor quality is undrinkable and may be used for cooking purposes only.