Wine is a beverage that contains a small quantity of alcohol. Wine is made by fermenting grape juice. The natural chemicals of grapes allow them to be fermented without the addition of any sugar, enzymes or acids. Yeast is what is used for fermenting wine. Yeast acts on grapes and removes all sugar found in grapes. This converts the grapes into alcohol. Different varieties of grapes can be used for making different types of wines.
Varietal wines are produced from grapes that belong to the European species Vitis Vinifera. These wines are generally Port Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine can also be made from several hybrid varieties of grapes. Wines can be classified according to region where they are produced or the types of grapes that are used for making wine. Mostly wines are classified as red wines or white wines.
Wine has many components. Tannin is one of the main components of wine. Tannin is mainly derived from pips, stalks and skin of the grapes. Tannins are considered to be the backbone of wine. These are the natural preservatives found in wine and are responsible for the aging of wine. These are more important components of red wine rather than white wine. As tannin fades over time, the taste of the wine gets better as the flavor of the fruit improves. Tannins can be of different types like harsh, soft and stalky.
Acids are other components of wine. Acids give all fruits their flavor. Any fruit tastes overly sweet if acid is missing from it. In wine, the quantity of acids needs to be well balanced. This ensures that the wine tastes good. If there is less acid in the wine, the wine will taste dull and if there is a lot of acid in the wine, it will give a harsh taste and become undrinkable. The wines that have more acidic content are generally procured from France, New Zealand and England. Wines with fewer acids in them belong to countries that have a warm climate.
Alcohol is one of the main components of wine. The amount of alcohol in wine depends upon the amount of sugar present in the grapes that are used for making wine. In countries with a cool climate, the alcohol content in wine is about 7 to 8 percent. In warmer areas, the alcohol content is about 14%. Sugar is another component of wine. The fermentation process basically converts sugar to alcohol. When controlled fermentation takes place, there are different flavors of wine that can be produced. Even after fermentation, small traces of sugar remain in the wine.
Oak is also a component of wine that is used for the maturation of wine. Oak is responsible for the different characteristics of wine. Oak can give different aromas to a wine. These aromas include toffee, caramel, butter, butterscotch etc. Botrytis is a fungus that is used in wine making. This is responsible for reducing the amount of water in grapes and thus concentrates the grape juice from which wine is made. The wine so produced has a rich taste of fruit flavors.
