Different grape varieties are different in color, size, shape and composition. Color, skin thickness and the contents of acids, sugars, polyphenols and other substances directly affect the color, aroma and taste of wine. Wine grapes are very different from daily edible grapes. Although the taste is very strong, most of them have less meat and more stones, thick skin and less juice, small particles and lack of fresh food value. But it is these humble grapes that have been fermented and become the wine on our table. The wine produced by different grape varieties is different, but apart from the differences between varieties, the quality of grapes itself is the key to brewing high-quality wine. Wine brewed with healthy, pollution-free and germ-eroded grapes has far less chance of producing off-flavor than grapes with low quality, pollution or germ-eroded grapes.
The quality of grapes is also closely related to the yield. Generally speaking, the higher the yield per mu of grapes, the lower the effective components contained in grapes and the lower the quality of grapes, so the brewed wine is naturally tasteless and mediocre. However, it does not mean that the lower the rate of return, the better. Each variety has its own optimum yield and quality ratio, which should be considered together with many factors such as tree age, plant density, tree pruning and growth mode, location and so on. Generally, the yield of grapes is the highest when they are 7-40 years old, and then gradually decreases. Although the yield of old trees is low, if they are well maintained and managed, they can also produce high-quality grapes.
Vineyard-the environment and climate in which grapes grow
If you don't have good grapes, you can't make good wine. It all happened in the vineyard!
-Emile Penard
As Emile Beenaert, a famous French wine professor, said, the characteristics and style of wine originated from vineyards. The same grape variety can show completely different styles in different producing areas, and the growing environment of grapes affects the quality and characteristics of grapes. Just as twins grow up in different families and different cultural backgrounds, they will form completely different personalities and temperaments, and the same grape variety will have obvious differences in different growth environments, thus affecting the style and taste of the finished wine.
The growing environment of grapes includes region and climate, soil composition, soil structure and drainage, and geographical environment (i.e. orientation, slope, wind, presence of obstacles, etc. All these factors constitute the word Terroir that French people must mention when talking about wine quality. So to be exact, Terroir is a comprehensive concept mentioned above, and there is no corresponding vocabulary to express its complete meaning in other languages at present.
Although natural factors play an important role, people can also make reasonable adjustments and changes to the geographical environment with the help of science and technology, such as building artificial windbreaks and introducing irrigation systems to solve the problem of drought and water shortage. Soil quality and soil composition also need human maintenance and management. Grape pruning, hedgerow and branch density adjustment have a direct impact on grape quality and ripening process. Therefore, the growth of grapes depends not only on the natural environment, but also on the factors of people's efforts the day after tomorrow.
Generally speaking, wine grapes have strong adaptability to the environment and are relatively easy to grow. Most vineyards in the world are concentrated in the warm zone between 30-50 degrees north latitude or 20-40 degrees south latitude, and the annual average temperature is about 10-20 degrees. Too hot and too cold places are not suitable for grape growth. Grape roots have a strong ability to grow deep, and the harsh soil environment makes grape roots have to extend as far as possible in order to absorb nutrients to the maximum extent, so that the grapes produced have strong flavor and local soil characteristics. Many famous vineyards in the world are often covered with pebbles or gravel, and it is impossible to imagine what crops can be grown. Fertile soil can only make grapes grow excessively, resulting in dense branches and leaves but no high-quality grapes.
Finally, a winemaker in Burgundy, a famous French wine producing area, concluded: "If our soil is not so barren, we can't be so rich" (if our soil is not so barren, we won't be so rich! )
Brewing technology
With the development of modern science and technology, the way of brewing wine has changed greatly compared with the past, and it is still changing. It is hard for people living now to imagine the taste of wine brewed in the past without temperature control and filtration to prevent bacterial pollution.
Brewers play an extremely important role in the process of wine brewing. If the two factors mentioned above (grapes and vineyards) are congenital conditions, it is difficult or only limited for people to manipulate the first two factors, then this last point (winemaking technology) is not only related to technology, but also closely related to the taste and artistry of winemakers. At present, many brewing processes have no certain standards, such as the contact time between juice and peel, the ratio of new and old oak barrels and so on.
So what method can achieve the best effect has a lot to pay attention to. How to make wine depends largely on the experience and preferences of winemakers, which is the same reason that you can't make dishes of all colors and flavors according to the menu. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that those excellent wines are rare treasures modulated by nature, technology and art.
The vintage of wine comes from the year when the grapes were harvested. The weather changes every year, and the wine brewed is naturally different. In areas where the weather changes regularly, there is little natural difference between different years. For example, Medosa, Argentina, is located in the desert, with little rainfall and only snow water irrigation. The weather is stable and there is a good harvest every year, but unfortunately, it has not changed much during the year. Located in the production area with mild climate, good years need plenty of sunshine (especially in spring and early August) and warm temperatures, and the weather must be dry and not rainy in autumn harvest. In a word, improving the maturity of grapes, keeping healthy and not being infected by germs are the most basic requirements for a good year. In the producing areas with hot weather and abundant sunshine, the temperature is lower than the average temperature to maintain the delicate quality of wine.
Red wine and white wine have different weather requirements. The high temperature of autumn harvest is beneficial to the ripening of red grapes, but too high temperature often makes the acidity of white grapes insufficient, which leads to the weakening of wine body and loss of characteristics. 1949 Burgundy's summer heat and autumn tiger have made excellent red wine, but white wine has relatively lost its balanced and meticulous quality.
In addition, even in the same producing area, the influence of weather change on wine is not necessarily the same. Different grape varieties, different drainage and heat-absorbing soil properties and various small regional climate changes make the evaluation of vintage wine not completely applicable to the whole producing area by analogy. Take Bordeaux as an example. Saint Emilion mainly produces Merlot. Compared with Upper Medoc, which mainly produces Cabernet Sauvignon, it will naturally not have the same impact on the weather in the same year. There are many producing areas that brew different types of wine according to the change of year, and some special wines will only be produced when the climatic conditions are suitable in that year. For example, Porter wine from Portugal's Porter wine producing area, expensive rotten sweet liquor from trockenbeerenauselese, Tocai's aszu, Alsace's vendange tardive and expensive rotten sweet liquor (S.G.N) and so on. , are rare wines produced only in special years.
From the end of 17, wine began to be sold in glass bottles, and the year of wine began to have commercial value. At present, almost all good quality wines are marked with vintage, with the only exception of vintage champagne and alcohol-fortified wines cultivated in oak barrels for many years. The price of wine in excellent years is often several times higher than that in mediocre years. Take Bordeaux's most famous year 1982 as an example. The market price including tax of Mouton-Rothschild Castle Winery 1982 is about 1600 francs, which is three times higher than the price of 400 francs +0 in 1986. In addition to considering the quality of the year, we should also consider whether it is mature, so that we don't spend money and enjoy the mellow wine.