Types of wine
Wine refers to a low-alcohol beverage fermented and aged with pure grape juice. There are many kinds of wines in the world. Generally, wines are classified according to the following aspects:
(1) According to the color of the wine
1. red wine: grapes are fermented with skins, and the colors are divided into crimson, bright red and ruby red. In recent years, pink wine is also quite popular in the international market, and its color is between red wine and white wine.
2. White wine: white grapes or red grapes are peeled, juiced and fermented. Pale yellow or golden in color, clear and transparent, with unique typicality.
(2) according to the amount of sugar in the wine
1. Dry wine: Also known as dry wine, the sugar in the raw material (grape juice) is completely converted into alcohol, and the residual sugar content is below 0.4%. When tasting, it is no longer sweet, only sour and refreshing. Dry wine is the main variety of wine consumed in the world market, and it is also a kind of wine in great demand in China's tourism and foreign trade. Dry wine contains little sugar, so the flavor of grape varieties is fully reflected. The evaluation of dry wine is the main basis for identifying the quality of grape varieties. In addition, the low sugar content of dry wine will not cause yeast re-fermentation, and it is not easy to cause bacterial growth.
2. Semi-dry wine, with sugar content of 4- 12g/L, is widely consumed in Europe and America.
3. Semi-sweet wine, with sugar content of 12-40g/L and slightly sweet taste, is widely consumed in Japan and the United States.
4. Sweet wine: the sugar content of wine exceeds 40 g/L, and it is called sweet wine that can feel sweetness. High-quality sweet wine is brewed from grapes with high sugar content, and the fermentation is stopped before the fermentation is completed, so that the sugar content is kept at about 4%. However, sweet wine is usually fermented and sugar is added separately. China and some Asian countries consume more liqueur.
(3) according to whether it contains carbon dioxide or not
1. Still wine: wine without carbon dioxide is still wine.
2. Sparkling wine: CO2-containing wine is sparkling wine, which can be divided into two types:
(1) Natural gas wine: CO2 in wine is naturally produced during fermentation, such as champagne produced in champagne region of France.
(2) Artificial sparkling wine: CO2 is added to the wine by artificial methods.
In addition to the above classification methods, there are grape distilled liquor (commonly known as brandy) and "absinthe" and other flavoring (adding aromatic plants) wines.
There is no requirement for what kind of people to drink ~
First, the origin of wine
There are different opinions about the origin of wine. Some people say that it originated in ancient Egypt, or ancient Greece, or the Greek island of Seth. According to the research and analysis of existing wine archives, to be exact, it should be that our ancestors brewed wine 10,000 years ago, and it has spread with the wine culture to this day.
According to historical records, grape cultivation and brewing technology spread from Simino and Egypt to Crete, Greece, then to Sicily, Italy, Libya and Italy in North Africa, and then to Provence and the coastal areas of Spain in Valle province near the southeast of the Mediterranean, with travelers and new conquerors. At the same time, by land, from the Danube River basin in Europe into Central European countries.
Anyway, our ancestors, in the earliest birthplace mentioned above, accidentally discovered wild grapes that had already grown in nature in their lives and work, thus brewing the most primitive drink, which was later called wine. With the discovery and application of fire, mankind has entered the era of fishing, hunting, animal husbandry and agriculture. During this long time, grain seeds and grape seedlings or vines spread all over the world, making great contributions to the survival and development of mankind.
According to archaeological records:
In ancient Egypt, especially in the Nile valley, archaeologists discovered a kind of pottery jar with a small and round bottom, a thick and round belly and a big neck at the top. According to textual research, this is a pottery jar used by ancient Egyptians to hold wine or oil;
In Greece, in the archaeological excavation, in an ancient tomb cave, a relief of the second century BC was found on the tomb wall; The Greek gods Apollo and Victor Il) * * * presented the landscape of grapes to the gods;
In the tomb of Nacht in the18th dynasty, a mural was unearthed, in which a noble lady stood slightly to the left, dressed in white. From her left foot to her right heel, she was surrounded by a bunch of grapevine leaf ornaments. On both sides, there was a wolf head on the left and a beautiful lady on the right, each holding a long round glass as if facing the woman.
According to historical records:
About 4000 years ago, when Jesus Christ was born, the distance between time and space was shortened due to land and sea transportation, and wine culture spread through articles or poems written by literati. Egypt at this time, although its agriculture. Handicraft and navigation have developed, but the dawn of their progress has just appeared. But around 1085 BC, Osiris, the god of hell in Egyptian mythology, was recognized as the god of vines and wine.
In the Neolithic Age, Arato Leah (formerly known as Asia Minor), Georgia and Armenia in Transcaucasia near the Black Sea have become tribal communities. This is due to the mild climate and fertile land in these areas at that time, so primitive tribes far away from the area moved here one after another to settle down. Grapes are planted on tree-lined hills, while agricultural production is carried out on vast fields in plain areas. Therefore, grape cultivation and wine brewing are spreading to distant places.
As for France, from the long history, neighboring Italy will become the most developed country in the world in the future, and it will benefit a lot from growing grapes and brewing wine. Of course, the climate and geographical environment in France are suitable for grape growth to varying degrees. In the three months from August, from south to north, the whole of France was in a happy grape harvest period. During this period, the French grape-producing areas were intoxicated with the mellow joy of tasting new wines.
According to the works of two famous French painters:
From A.D. 1574 to A.D. 1665, a painting by French painter nicolas poussin: In autumn, a group of Palestinian migrant workers are picking a bunch of ripe grapes in a French vineyard and putting them in a laundry basket nearby;
From A.D. 1789 to A.D. 1863, a large-scale mural made by the French painter Eugere Delocrcix: the Greek god Bacchus was feeding wine to a big lion in a big pottery basin.
In addition, French scholars also found a relief in the tomb in the first century BC, in which a wine merchant was selling wine to a consumer.
Throughout the above historical stories, wine provides a brand-new drink for all mankind, and also provides a source of happiness for the survival and development of human society. As for the origin of wine, it is no longer important, leaving it to historians to continue to explore and discuss academic issues; For modern people, drinking wine, especially expensive wine, is a wonderful enjoyment and has created a lot of wealth for mankind.
Two. A journey of wine history
Archaeologists have proved that grape culture can be traced back to the 4th century BC. Grape brewing technology of unknown origin has never stopped improving, but it is actually a natural development process.
For centuries, wine was once a hand-made workshop product, and its preservation time was very short. Today's large-scale commercial wine products should be attributed to some inventions, such as high-quality glass and sealed cork, and the French pharmacologist Bassett discovered the microstructure of fermentation in the19th century.
The evolution and development of wine is closely related to the development of western civilization. Wine was found somewhere in the fertile crescent of ancient times (the two river basins around Iraq today), which is a vast agricultural area from the Nile to the Persian Gulf valley. The early civilization in this area (4000-3000 BC) was attributed to the fertile soil, and it was also the earliest area where wine grapes began to flourish. With the prosperity of urban gangs replacing primitive agricultural tribes, ancient maritime peoples with territorial ambitions-from the earliest Phoenicians (now Syria) to the later Greeks and Romans-also spread the knowledge of grape tree species and wine-making to the Mediterranean and even the whole European continent.
When the Roman Empire perished in the 5th century, Christian monasteries in the divided Western Roman Empire (France, northern Italy and parts of Germany) recorded the process of grape harvest and wine making in detail. These detailed records are helpful to cultivate the most suitable grape varieties in specific agricultural areas. Charlemagne ruled the Western Roman Empire from 768 to 8 14, and its power also influenced the wine development since then. The great emperor foresaw the prospect of vineyards from southern France to northern Germany, and the famous Burgundy producing area "grandcru Corton-Charlemagne" vineyard was once his industry.
Under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I, the British Empire became a maritime power with a huge ocean-going merchant fleet. Her maritime trade brought wines from many European wine-producing countries to Britain, and the demand for spirits in Britain also promoted the development of sherry, port and madeira.
At the same time as the American War of Independence, France was recognized as the largest wine producer. Thomas Jefferson (the drafter of the American Declaration of Independence) once talked enthusiastically about wine grades in his letters to friends, and also advocated transplanting European grape varieties to the New World. Most of these early attempts to plant and harvest grapes in American colonies ended in failure. During the exchange and transplantation of native American tree species and European tree species, a pest that did great harm to the vines was inadvertently brought to Europe, resulting in the grape nodule aphid disease at the end of 19, which destroyed most vineyards in Europe. However, if there is anything to be thankful for in this disaster, it is that the destruction of vineyards has inspired new agricultural technologies and the redistribution of European wine-making territory.
Since the beginning of this century, the rapid development of agricultural technology has enabled winemakers everywhere to protect crops from common attacks such as mold and animal pests. The process of grape planting and brewing has gradually become scientific. At the same time, extensive legislation has been made in this century to encourage the production of wine with good reputation and good quality. Nowadays, wine is produced in temperate regions all over the world, and there are quite a few different wines for consumers to choose from. From the early agricultural society to the present, the progress of wine brewing can be said to be a fascinating legend; It also reveals the fundamental significance of wine in western culture.
3. Wine family
There are many kinds and styles of wine, but their main production techniques and main components are roughly the same. According to different methods, wine can be divided into several categories.
Sort by color
Red wine is fermented from grapes with red skin and white meat or red skin and red meat. The wine contains colored substances in the peel or pulp, which makes it a red wine. The color of this kind of wine is generally deep ruby red, ruby red, purple red, deep red, brown red and so on.
White wine is made from grapes with white skin and white meat or red skin and white meat by peeling and fermentation. The color of this kind of wine is mainly yellow, mainly colorless, light yellow with green, light yellow, straw yellow, golden yellow and so on.
Pink wine is made from colored grapes by partial leaching and fermentation of colored substances. Its color is between red wine and white wine, mainly pink, light red and light rose red.
According to the pressure of carbon dioxide
Still wine, also known as still wine or still wine, refers to wine that contains no or a small amount of carbon dioxide (the pressure of carbon dioxide at 20℃ is less than 0.05MPa).
Sparkling wine produces carbon dioxide through closed secondary fermentation, and the pressure of carbon dioxide is greater than or equal to 0.35MPa at 20℃.
Aerated sparkling wine, also known as grape sparkling wine, refers to wine with artificially added carbon dioxide, and the pressure of carbon dioxide at 20℃ is greater than or equal to 0.35MPa.
Classification by sugar content
A. For still wine
Dry wine Dry wine refers to wine whose sugar content (calculated by glucose, the same below) is less than or equal to 4.0g/L. Because of different colors, it can be divided into dry red wine, dry white wine and dry pink wine.
Semi-dry wine Semi-dry wine refers to wine with a sugar content of 4. 1 ~ 12.0 g/L, which can be divided into semi-dry red wine, semi-dry white wine and semi-dry pink wine due to different colors.
Semi-sweet wine Semi-sweet wine refers to wine with sugar content of 12. 1 ~ 50.0 g/L, which can be divided into semi-sweet red wine, semi-sweet white wine and semi-sweet pink wine due to different colors.
Sweet wine Sweet wine refers to wine with sugar content greater than or equal to 50. 1g/L, which can be divided into sweet red wine, sweet white wine and sweet pink wine due to different colors.
B. For sparkling wine
The sugar content of natural sparkling wine is less than or equal to12.0g/l.
Absolute dry sparkling wine is sparkling wine with sugar content of12.1~ 20.0 g/L.
Dry sparkling wine with sugar content of 20.1~ 35.0 g/l.
Semi-dry sparkling wine is sparkling wine with sugar content of 35.1~ 50.0 g/L.
Sweet sparkling wine with sugar content greater than or equal to 50.1g/L.
Classification by brewing method
A. Natural wine is completely fermented from grapes without adding sugar, alcohol and spices.
B. Special wines Special wines refer to wines made from fresh grapes or grape juice by special methods in the process of picking or brewing, which are divided into
Liqueur is a wine with the alcohol content of 15% ~ 22% added with brandy, edible distilled alcohol or grape alcohol and concentrated grape juice. To natural wine.
Seasoning wine is a wine made by soaking aromatic plants or adding the extract (or distillate) of aromatic plants on the basis of wine.
Ice wine delayed the harvest of grapes. When the temperature is lower than -7℃, the grapes are stored on the tree for a certain period of time, frozen, then harvested, squeezed with ice, and the wine made from this grape juice.
Grape fruit was infected with Botrytis cinerea in the post-ripening stage of noble wine, which caused obvious changes in fruit composition. Wine brewed from this grape.
Classification by drinking mode
Aperitif wine is drunk before meals, mainly some flavoring wine, and the alcohol content is generally above 18%. A common aperitif in China is "Weimeisi".
Table wine is mainly dry wine, such as dry red wine and dry white wine.
The wine to be scattered is drunk after meals, mainly some fortified sweet wine.
4. All kinds of wines
J.Robinson, a British wine writer, pointed out in her book Grape, Grape and Wine that 90% of the aroma and characteristics of wine are determined by the varieties used. It shows that understanding the main varieties is a very important topic for friends who love wine.
Taxonomically, all wine grape varieties belong to VinS. Among more than 40 kinds of grapes, European grapes originating from Caucasus Mountain are the most important. It existed before Tertiary (more than 70 million years ago), and almost all wine grape varieties developed slowly after being introduced to the west, and spread all over the world after discovering the new continent. At present, there are more than 8,000 kinds of wines in the world, but only about 100 is often used. This chapter lists 26 most important varieties for reference, and briefly introduces the endemic varieties of each producing area.
Because each variety has its own growth characteristics and necessary natural conditions, such as climate, soil quality, sunshine and so on. The selection of wine producing areas is by no means accidental, and sometimes it is mixed with traditional and market factors. For example, the south of France's Long Valley is dry, hot and often windy, and it is the main producing area of Grenach species that is resistant to dry heat and strong wind. But Pi Nuo, which is precocious and likes cold climate, will never grow in the hot Mediterranean climate zone. On the contrary, Chablis, which is often damaged by frost, chooses Chardonnay with early germination (which is more vulnerable to the threat of spring frost), mainly because of tradition and quality considerations.
In traditional European producing areas, the unique flavor of wine in this region is the main index to attract lovers. Even if the single grape variety IOO%% is adopted, the varieties used are not particularly prominent, such as Burgundy and beaujolais. There are also many producing areas that often mix more than one variety, such as Porter and new castle. In order to balance wine or enrich wine, more than a dozen varieties are often mixed to achieve the best harmony. On the contrary, in the newly developed wine producing areas, grape varieties are often regarded as the most important demand because of their short planting history and sensitivity to market reaction, and most of them focus on producing a single variety of wine.
Verb (abbreviation of verb) Types of wine and brewing technology
If wine is distinguished by color, it can be divided into white wine, red wine and rose wine, but the juice squeezed from red grapes and white grapes is colorless, so red grapes can be used to brew white wine. The reason why red wine becomes colored red wine is that it ferments with grape skin in the brewing process and absorbs the pigment released by red grape skin. If the peel of red grapes is separated early, the color of the wine will become lighter, and it will become rose wine. Due to the different contact time between grape skins and wine, the rose wine in each winery has different colors. White grape skin has no pigment function, so it is not fermented with the skin when brewing.
Grapes contain fructose and fruit acid when they are ripe. The so-called brewing is simply to convert fructose into alcohol by squeezing the juice of grapes during fermentation. If all fructose is converted into alcohol, we call it unsweetened or dry wine. If the fermentation is terminated in advance and a little more sugar is retained during the transformation, it will become sweet wine.
When grapes are fermented, both heat energy and carbon dioxide (bubbles) are produced. Under normal circumstances, wine will let bubbles escape, but if bubbles are preserved in wine, they will become sparkling wine, and champagne is a world-famous masterpiece (only sparkling wine brewed in French champagne producing areas can be named champagne, while sparkling wine brewed in other parts of France or around the world can only be called sparkling wine).
Wine is alive, because before the wine is opened, the four main elements in wine: tannin, acid, sugar and alcohol are still in operation, and they combine with each other to produce different new smells and change colors at the same time. When these four main elements reach the balance point, it is the suitable drinking period of wine. Red wine will become mellow and fragrant because of soft tannins, and white wine will become moderately acidic to better appreciate its fruity and mellow beauty. Due to different characteristics, the maturity of various grape varieties will be different.
Tannins in red wine mainly come from grape skins, and extra tannins will be added during barrel aging, which is the main pillar to maintain the life of red wine. The acid in white wine has the same effect, but it is not as durable as tannin.
No matter white wine, red wine or roses, they can be classified as daily table wine and wine from legal producing areas or varieties.
Daily table wine: it is made of wine from a certain producing area or grape variety, or it may be made of a single grape variety. The quality and taste will vary according to the brewing methods adopted by grapes and wineries. Generally speaking, only the basic properties and taste of wine are required to be recognized. Daily table wine should be drunk as soon as possible and not stored.
Legal variety or producing area wine: legal producing area (France) or variety (United States) is one of the main points introduced in this paper, which is made of single or main grape varieties and is the favorite and discussion place for all wine drinkers. Because each grape has its own characteristics (fragrance), coupled with the differences in origin, climate, soil and brewing methods, it has produced a dazzling array of brands. However, if the most common and popular wines in the world are listed under grape varieties, there are nothing more than ten or dozens. Therefore, if you can understand the characteristics of each grape variety, it will be easier to choose your favorite taste and experience the taste of different styles.
The intransitive verb vintage of wine.
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, port wine from Portuguese port wine producing areas, trockenbeerenauselese-class expensive rotten sweet liquor from Germany, aszu expensive rotten sweet liquor from Hungarian Tocai producing areas, vendange tardive and S.G.N from Alsace, etc. , 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 198 2 as an example. The market price of Mouton-Rothschild Castle Winery 1982 is about 1600 francs including tax, which is three times higher than the 400 francs +0 in 1986. Good vintage wines are usually rich, rich and lasting, but it also means that it takes a long time to reach maturity. If you drink it when you are too young, it may not be as good as the mediocre years when the price is low. 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.
Seven. Three States of wine
According to different brewing methods, wine can be divided into three categories: static wine, sparkling wine and fortified wine.
Static wine
We usually say that red wine and white wine are static wines. This wine is the mainstream product of wine, with an alcohol content of about 8%- 13%. Still wine is also called still wine because it excludes carbon dioxide produced after fermentation. According to different grape varieties and brewing methods, it can be divided into white wine, red wine and pink wine.
Liquor only ferments the juice of grapes, and the culture period is generally less than one year. The taste is refreshing, the tannin content is low, and it is fruity and sour. Red wine is fermented from grape skins, pulp and seeds. The culture period is more than one year. Compared with white wine, the obtained wine has stronger flavor, more tannins and astringency, but it is usually not sweet because of its high degree of fermentation. However, because liquor is more stable than liquor, it usually has a shelf life of several years or even decades. The so-called pink wine describes its color. It can be mixed with red wine and white wine, or it can shorten the soaking time of red wine, and its taste is between red wine and white wine.
sparkling wine
This wine is named because it will produce carbon dioxide after two fermentations after bottling. Alcohol content is 9%- 14%. Sparkling wine is the most famous "champagne" produced in champagne region of France, which is a general term for all sparkling wines. Other sparkling wines, such as Sputnik in Italy and Schechter in Germany, also belong to sparkling wines.
Garrett wine
Adding other high-concentration wines during or after fermentation leads to higher alcohol content than the first two categories, accounting for about 15%-22%. This kind of wine usually goes through a long culture period and is made by mixing wines from different years and places of origin. The wine is stable and can be stored for a long time. Porto in Portugal and Sherry in Spain are the best of this kind of wine.
Eight. Wine tips
Champagne champagne
The proper term champagne is copyrighted. It must be brewed in the champagne region of France by a special method (also known as champagne law), and other relevant laws and regulations must be observed, so that the brewed wine containing bubbles can be called [champagne].
King and Queen in Wine
The wine produced in Blaudeau has a soft and elegant taste, which seems to be a fine wine for women with a variety of customs, and is known as [after wine]; The wine produced in Burgundy is called "the king of wine" because of its tough structure, unique personality and heroic chivalry. The queen represents two famous wine producing areas with different styles in France.
Label of wine
The label of wine is just like the identity card of wine, which will indicate the country of production, place of registration, alcohol content, capacity and year. When buying high-quality wine above a certain level, you can check whether the cork is consistent with the year on the label after opening the cork, because sometimes there is a considerable price difference between different years.
What kind of grapes can make wine?
In fact, wine grapes are completely different from daily practical grapes. Delicious grapes (thin and juicy, with high sweetness) cannot produce high-quality wine; However, grapes used in good quality wines are usually not suitable for use, especially red grapes, which are usually thick-skinned (this is the source of tannins), with lower water content and higher acidity than ordinary practical grapes.
Selection of tasting cup
An inappropriate wine glass can't taste the characteristics of wine. Only by choosing the right wine glass can we give full play to the characteristics of wine. The wine glass used in wine tasting is tulip-shaped or necking transparent wine glass, which can concentrate the aroma of wine near the mouth of the glass, which is convenient for judging the smell; But don't have carvings or other colors, so as not to make a wrong judgment on the color of the wine.
good harvest
The so-called good year does not mean that the wine needs to be aged for a long time, but that when the grapes grow in that year, the climate and all aspects have significantly good performance.
The older the wine, the better it smells.
Although it is a good vintage wine, it is not more fragrant with age; After the peak of wine aging, it will only go from bad to worse, just like a beautiful woman has her twilight years, and then she gets old and enters a degenerate period. Therefore, a good vintage wine also needs to be drunk at the right time to taste its peak flavor.