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Wine

Wine has been used for at least 5,000 years. Egyptian records dating from 2500 BC refer to the use of grapes for winemaking. The first wines seem to have originated in the Middle East. There are frequent references to wine in the Old Testament. Centuries later the role of wine for sacramental use in Christian churches helped maintain the industry after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Wine is the fermented juice of grapes. Only one species of grape, Vitis vinifera, is used for nearly all the wine made in the world. From this species as many as 4,000 varieties of grape have been developed. These varieties differ from each other, though sometimes only slightly, in size, colour, shape of the berry, juice composition, ripening time, and resistance to disease. Of the 4,000 or more varieties, only about a dozen are commonly used for winemaking around the world.

The main varieties are

  • Riesling
  • Chardonnay
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Pinot Noir
  • Gewurztraminer
  • Sauvignon
  • Blanc
  • Muscat.



Wines are also made from fruits other than grapes. Fermented apple cider is considered a wine. Perry is produced from pears. There are also cherry wines, plum wines, and wines made from various berries.

Wine Classifications

  • Table wines
  • fortified wines
  • sparkling wines

This classification depends on the techniques of production, called vinification. Winemaking is called enology (or oenology), from the Greek words for wine and study. The term vintage signifies a single season's wine production, usually referring to the specific location in which a particular wine is produced.

Table wines
Table wines are made from juice that is pressed from the grape. The juice is allowed to ferment naturally, sometimes with the addition of controlled amounts of sugar and yeast. Table wines come in three basic colours: white, yellow, red or pink.

Fortified wines
These wines receive an extra dosage of alcohol, usually a grape brandy, at some point in their production. The alcohol content of fortified wines is higher than that of table wines, ranging from 14 to 23 percent. Colours may be white, amber, bright red, or dark red.

Sherry is the best known and most popular of the fortified wines. Its name comes from the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Spain. Sherry's unique qualities come from the soil and grapes of Jerez as well as from a distinctive vinification process. The flavour of sherry ranges from very sweet to very dry, with several intermediate varieties.

Other fortified wines include Madeira, from the Portuguese, Marsala, from Sicily, Malaga, from the south of Spain; Port, from Portugal...

Sparkling wines
The best known sparkling wine is champagne, named from the region of France where it was first made in the 18th century by a Benedictine monk named Dom Pierre Perignon. Asti Spumante is an Italian sparkling wine. Sparkling wines are usually white, but may be red or rose.

Sparkling wines go through a double fermentation, the second of which takes place in the bottle. Sugar and yeast are added in the second fermentation to produce carbon dioxide gas, which builds up the pressure inside the bottle; then the yeast is removed. Champagnes are blends of wine from different grapes.

Americano

  • 2 oz. Sweet Vermouth
  • 2 oz. Campari
  • Club soda
  • Orange twist

Mix alcohol in a mixing glass with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass. Fill with several ice cubes and club soda with an orange twist.

Champagne Napolean

  • 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier
  • 1/2 oz. Curacao
  • 1/2 oz. Maraschino liqueur
  • Champagne

Mix ingredients with ice in a mixing glass and strain into a chilled champagne flute. Fill with cold champagne

Sherry Twist

  • 3 oz. Amontillado
  • 1 oz. Cognac
  • 1 oz. Dry Vermouth
  • 1/2 oz. Curacao
  • Several dashes Lemon Juice
  • Pinch Cinnamon

Mix ingredients with ice in a shaker and pour into a chilled Delmonico glass, topping with cinnamon.

Wine Lemonade

  • Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
  • 1/2 oz. Sugar syrup
  • 5 oz.Wine
  • Club Soda
  • Lemon Slice

Dissolve syrup in lemon juice in a collins glass. Fill with wine and club soda. Garnish with lemon slice.

 
 

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