| Introduction
| How Wine is made I
| How Wine is made II
| How Wine is made III |
| Climate and Quality
| Serving and Testing
| Wine and Food
|
I. WHAT IS WINE?
Wine is fermented grape juice. That's the standard answer. Actually, wine can be made from all sorts of common and not so common foods. Things like fruits, herbs and flowers. Most wine, though, is made from grapes. And no matter what the wine is made from, there must befermentation, that is, that
sugarbe transformed into alcohol. If the amount of alcohol is relatively low, the result is wine. If it is high, the result is a"distilled liquor," something like gin or vodka. Or perhaps the ever popular 151 rum ("flammable, use with caution").
By the way, as fermentation cannot increase alcohol content past about 16%, for at that level the yeast dies and ends fermentation. Higher alcohol levels are archived through"distillation" (that is a lower alcohol beverage is heated. Alcohol, evaporating first, is collected and the vapor re-condensed).
There are red wines, pink wines (also known as "rose" or sometimes "blush") and white wines. Since the inside of a grape is more or less "white," red grapes can make white wine. The color comes from letting the juice mix with the skins during the early wine-making process. A good example of this is White Zinfandel. The Zinfandel grape is very red on the outside. So, red grapes can make white wine, but white grapes can't make red wine.
Wines might be "fortified," "sparkling," or "table." In fortified wines, brandy is added to make the alcohol content higher (around 16 to 23 percent). Sparkling wines are the ones with bubbles, like Champagne. Table wine (which can also be called "still wine") are the most "natural." Both table and sparkling wines tend to have alcohol contents between 7 and 15 percent.
Nobody knows when and where wine first appeared, but certainly wild vines existed long before man as 130 million years ago - and modern scientific tests have shown that wine was produced by man 8,000 years ago, although these early wines could have borne little resemblance to our modern vintages. The history of German wines began with the ancient Romans who conquered the region about 100 B.C. and started cultivating grapes soon thereafter. In the Middle Ages the monastic orders established many of Germany's finest vineyards and, with their meticulous care of the vines and wines, set the standard for the high quality of German viticulture. The Church's vineyards were divided up and sold to private owners and the states when Napoleon conquered the Rhine region in 1803 - yet the vineyards thrived and the fame of their wines continued. Since then there has been constant progress and development. The most northerly of the wine-growing countries, Germany produces the loveliest, lightest, most delicate white wines in the world.
Low in alcohol and exquisitely balanced, they are wines of charm and subtle nuances. Other wine countries have planted the same grapes - most notably, the Riesling - and tried to make the same wines, but they have been, at best, imitations. Other factors which contribute to the unique character of German wines, such as soil structure and climate, simply cannot be relocated. The wines grown in Germany are extremely diverse, although they bear a family resemblance. Tasting is the best way to appreciate the special character of German wines, as well as to understand the subtle differences which distinguish a Rhine wine from a Mosel wine, or a Riesling from a Silvaner, or a simple table wine from a late-harvested wine.
| Introduction
| How Wine is made I
| How Wine is made II
| How Wine is made III |
| Climate and Quality
| Serving and Testing
| Wine and Food
|
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