From wine grape to bottle of wine. History and types of wine

"Wine is the light of the sun trapped in water." - ...as Galileo wrote about this noble beverage. Wine still carries important symbols, and a whole culture has developed around its consumption, with strict rules for storage, preparation and serving. There is even a branch of science, oenology, taught at French universities, dealing with issues related to the production, storage and tasting of wine. Here is what you should know

Not that short of a wine story...

Mediterranean climate

The Caucasus, an area of modern Armenia, is considered to be the pre-Caucasus wine country, which may seem surprising. It is there that wild grape varieties were used for the first time to make wine. Historical sources confirm that already several thousand years B.C. wine was produced in Egypt, Mesopotamia and Mediterranean countries, including the southern coast of Italy.

The Greek wine masters

However, it was only the ancient Greeks who perfected and spread the cultivation of vines in the Mediterranean - they were the first to start pruning vines, giving them the shape of a bush. The influence of climate and soil on the taste of wine was recognized and the art of wine-growing was written down in books. In ancient Greece, wine not only accompanied all feasts and religious rituals, but was also considered to be a healing agent. It was served in special vessels called craters and drunken with a lot of water.

Roman technology

Ancient Romans did not remain indifferent to Greek wine traditions. It was from them that they took over the techniques of viticulture and wine making. The Romans owed the spread of wine growing on almost the entire continent. With the military conquests, further areas with the right climate, including Gaul, were planted with vines. To understand the importance of the ancient Romans in the development of wine production, it must be noted that the current wine-growing areas in Europe coincide almost exactly with the borders of the Roman Empire. Already then, both cheap common wines and expensive, noble wines were produced. Although they were consumed diluted with water, the qualities of wines from certain regions were appreciated - one of the most expensive was the wine from Falernum.

The popularity of this noble beverage in ancient Rome is evidenced by the fact that in 92 A.D. the Emperor Domitian forbade the cultivation of vines because wine production was so great that in Ravenna its price was lower than that of water!
 
grape wine history

Wine grapes are grown in dry and warm regions. However, climate change is leading to the fact that their cultivation will systematically shift northwards.

Wine at church thresholds

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the wine tradition was taken over by the Catholic Church - wine has gained sacred significance. During the Middle Ages, the monasteries, which had vast stretches of the best cultivated land, were engaged in improving the cultivation and production of wine. Special merits in this respect are due to the Cistercians who established countless vineyards in present-day France and Germany, many of which still function today and are considered the best in the world, such as the Clos de Vougeot in France and the German vineyard in Eberbach. The Cistercian Order, as rich, paid special attention to the highest quality wine - the vines were grown only on the best soils, the wine, subjected to long fermentation processes, stored in barrels made of the best wood (wine started to be bottled in glass bottles only in the 17th century). The quality of wine was also influenced by competition between particular monasteries - good wine was a sign of prestige.

Thanks to the colonial conquests at the beginning of the 16th century, the vines reached the American continent. Initially cultivated in Mexico, then together with the missionaries the vines reached California, Chile and Argentina.

Regionalisation of vinous crops

The beginnings of modern wine naming methods

Until the French Revolution, viticulture and wine making were the domain of the Church. From the date of its eruption, however, most of the vineyards were in private hands, and the owners outrank themselves in ideas to improve the quality of their wines. Since then, we can talk about the regionalisation of wine - areas were delimited, from which the wine could bear a specific name as a guarantee of quality, which was later also applied by non-French regions such as Chianti in Italy.

Vineyard diseases and the discovery of fermentation

The 19th century left a significant mark on the history of wine, both tragic and positive. It was then that vine diseases imported from America attacked most European crops. Before remedies were found, many of the vineyards ceased to exist. But at the same time, the 19th century also brought a breakthrough in wine making. In 1857 Ludwig Pasteur described exactly what the fermentation process was about. Until then, the production of excellent wine was the result of many years of experience and ordinary case, now it could gain a scientific basis. And it was under the sign of science and constantly developing production technologies that wine entered the 20th century.

Today we can enjoy wines from all over the world - just go to the nearest liquor store or delicatessen, where bottles of wine from all over the world are available at your fingertips. Simply pour them into a wine decanter to aerate them properly, pour them into glasses - and enjoy the delicious taste and aroma!

Eva Solo Carafe 1 l brass

207,00 €

Eva Solo Carafe 1 l brass

Eva Solo
Lenka Decanter 500 ml recycled

235,00 €

Lenka Decanter 500 ml recycled

Bloomingville
Oxygen Decanter 2,6 l

438,00 €

Oxygen Decanter 2,6 l

Nude
Jazz Wine decanter 2,3 l

513,00 €

Jazz Wine decanter 2,3 l

Nude
Chateau Carafe 1,2 l

564,00 €

Chateau Carafe 1,2 l

Kosta Boda
Line Carafe 1 l

776,00 €

Line Carafe 1 l

Kosta Boda
    Line Carafe 1 l

    776,00 €

    Line Carafe 1 l

    Kosta Boda

The fruit is uneven. Types of grapevine varieties

What variety of grapevine varieties are the best wines made from? There is no single answer to this question, because the quality of the wine is influenced not only by the type of fruit, but also by the conditions under which the vines grow: the amount of rainfall, the type of soil, the terrain, the climate or the way they are grown. However, the most appropriate conditions and skilful care of the vineyards allow to extract from the grape the whole characteristic taste and aroma structure. It is worth getting to know the most popular wine varieties: just as different varieties of apples have different tastes, each grape variety only has its own specific taste and aroma characteristics.

White strains

  1. Chardonnay is a top-class strain from Burgundy, but it has now spread to many regions around the world. The taste of Chardonnay wine takes on a different character depending on the place of cultivation. Chardonnay from Burgundy gives buttery and nutty aromas, from Champagne - crisp and apple, from Australia and California - tropical fruits. Most of the wines from this fruit variety are full, with moderate acidity and quite high alcohol content.
  2. Riesling - this is the main noble grape variety in Germany, although it is also grown in Alsace, Lower Austria, northern Italy and Australia. These exceptionally high quality strains produce, among others, the famous white Rhine and Moselle wines. The Riesling wine usually has strongly fruity and fresh aromas, and when aged for a longer time - honey. It is a wine for connoisseurs, extremely durable and with a characteristic sourish aftertaste.
  3. Sauvignon Blanc is the strain that is most often used to produce wines that do not require long ageing. It is cultivated all over the world, although it is best suited to France. Wine from Sauvignon Blanc strain is very fresh in taste, with a slightly herbal, gooseberry or blackcurrant aroma.

Hint

It is worth taking care of proper serving of wine to fully appreciate its taste. It is recommended that white wine be served chilled, e.g. in a cooler, and in an appropriate glass for white wine: with the canopy narrowing upwards, preferably on a high leg.
Glass with a truncated edge Eva Solo
Decantation decanter with cooling base Eva Solo

Red grapes

  1. Cabernet Sauvignon. This is one of the most noble grape varieties, coming from the Bordeaux region (the best in the world in Haut-Médoc), now grown all over the world. The wines produced from it are strong dry wines with an intense colour and bitter taste, which require long ageing to achieve their full potential. Characteristic for mature wines is the heavy aroma of cedar, graphite, leather and earth.
  2. Merlot - this strain also originates from the Bordeaux region, where it is the dominant species. Currently, however, it is cultivated in many areas, including Italy, Switzerland and New Zealand. It contains smaller amounts of acids and tannins, while larger amounts of sugar. This gives wines with a mild taste and aroma of berries, plums and aniseed. Merlot wines are among the most popular because of their delicacy and sweetness.
  3. Pinot Noir is the most popular strain in Burgundy and Champagne and is also successfully grown in Alsace, Germany, Austria and New Zealand. The wines produced from it are characterized by delicacy and weaker colouring, as they have less tannins. Young wines give fruity aromas: strawberries, raspberries and cherries, while older ones are slightly heavier, with a rich bouquet.
  4. Syrah is native to the Rhône valley, and is also well suited to Australia (here it is called Shiraz) and Argentina. It allows the production of wine with a strong colouring and a large number of tannins, often with a spicy, peppery aroma. Mature wines achieve a bouquet of skin, smoke and animal smells.

Hint

Red wine glasses are larger and wider than those for white wine.
Idéelle Red wine glass

32,76 €

Idéelle Red wine glass

Holmegaard
Eva Solo Decanter carafe

79,90 €

Eva Solo Decanter carafe

Eva Solo (2)
Regina Red wine glass red

82,23 €

Regina Red wine glass red

Holmegaard
Salute Red wine glass

7,28 €

Salute Red wine glass

Spiegelau (1)
Eva Solo glasses

What does the wine making process look like?

Before the wine appears in an elegant bottle on our table, it must go a very long way. Without going into the technological nuances, we will briefly present what the wine production process looks like, which, apart from the type of grapevine strain, has a decisive influence on its taste and aroma.

From grape harvesting to the fermentation process

Few people know that the process of making white wine differs significantly from making red wine. The first step in both cases is to press the grapes using special mechanical or pneumatic presses. The grapes are then pressed into thick juice, known as must. It is worth adding that white wines are made not only from white grapes but also from those with a slightly reddish skin - the must itself is always almost colourless. It contains many drops and sediments, the remains of stones or twigs that can spoil the taste of the wine. For this reason, when making white wines, it must quickly undergo a purification process during which the deposits are separated. In the production of red wines, however, the must is not separated from the so-called pulp, i.e. the remains of skins, seeds and stalks. They contain aromatic substances and tannins, which are responsible for the characteristic taste of red wine.

White wine fermentation process

The next stage in the production of white wine is fermentation, which takes place under the influence of natural or synthetic yeast. It is then that the combination of yeast and natural grape sugar produces alcoholic compounds. For centuries white wines have been fermented in wooden vats - this tradition has unfortunately survived only in the production of the best and most expensive wines. The wine, aged in a barrel, acquires a characteristic, spicy taste, with a slightly "smoky", full note. It is also more durable. Nowadays, however, most of the producers use stainless steel tanks instead of wooden barrels - it is much cheaper, although it makes it impossible to extract many taste qualities. After the fermentation process, the wine, subjected to clarification, is poured into bottles.

Red wine extraction process

Red wine, on the other hand, undergoes the extraction process - in its successive phases, aromatic substances and tannins, responsible for the bitter taste of the drink, are extracted from the juice, seeds and hides. Depending on the intended effects, during or after fermentation, the wine is separated from the pulp.

Wine maturation

The next step is to leave the wine to mature - here, more often than in the case of white wines, wooden barrels are used. It is during ageing that the colour of the wine becomes more intense and deep, and the taste - full and mild. Depending on the type of wood, its age and the way the barrel is made, it is at this stage that the wine gets a slightly chocolate, vanilla, caramel or coconut aftertaste. Already matured wine is only subjected to the process of clarification and filtration, and then bottled and corked. However, this is not the end of it - most wines still need a long time to fully mature. Bottled ageing allows the full development of the aromas produced during barrel ageing. Only after a certain period of bottle-ripening does good wine end up on the shelves and on our tables.

Hint

If you are a lover of old wines, keep them lying on the wine rack. This way they will retain their taste longer!
 

Wine labels - important information for consumers

The wine label shall include important information on the classification of the wine, the country and region of origin, the alcohol content and much more. Its content is regulated by special regulations and therefore it is a valuable and reliable source of knowledge - it can tell us a lot about wine quality.

Information on the level of wine classification is particularly important. The countries concerned have their own legally regulated designation systems, which constitute an assessment of wine quality. It is worth knowing a few basic ones, because it makes it very easy to choose the right drink.

French AOC designation

In France, the most noble wines have the AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée), which strictly defines the limits of the regions, the types of grape, the cultivation and production rules, the alcoholic and other substances content. However, wines which meet the AOC standards but are of lower quality are designated by the VDQS (Vin Delimité de Qualité Supérieure). Better table wines with less stringent requirements are labelled Vin de Pays, while ordinary table wines, not governed by any requirements, are Vin de Table.

Italian designation of origin DOCG

Similar quality criteria apply to Italian wines. Precious wines are divided into two categories. DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) are the most noble wines, with a high reputation, meeting the strictest requirements as regards the region, the way of cultivation and production, also subjected to obligatory organoleptic tests. By the way, they are the most expensive wines. Also noble wines, with the properties specified in the regulations, are designated DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata). The equivalent of the French Vin de Pays are Italian IgT (Indicazione geografica Tipica) wines, which have a clearly marked region of origin. The most common table wines, on the other hand, are designated as VdT (Vino da Tavola) - they do not have to meet any requirements.

The Spanish designation DOCa

Spanish wines are also divided into noble and table wines. The highest quality is marked as DOCa (Denominación de Origen Calificada), slightly less strict but also high rigour meets the wines DO (Denominacón de Origen). Table wines are divided into three categories. Vino de mesa is made from grapes from outside the designated regions, often from blends of grapes, and its label does not indicate the vintage or region. Vino Comarcal is a slightly more noble wine with an established origin. Vino de la Tierra (equivalent to the French Vin de Pays) is, on the other hand, a wine with a distinctive local character, originating in certain geographical regions of Spain.

German QbA designation

In Germany, unlike in most countries, the category of wine is determined by the sugar content of the grapes, which is also linked to the alcohol content. The lowest category of table wine, Tafelwein, must have at least 8.5% alcohol. A slightly better table wine is Landwein (equivalent to the French Vin de Pays). Precious wines are designated as QbA (Qualitätswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiete) and QmP (Qualitätswein mit Prädikat).

Iittala Essence glasses

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