AN INTRODUCTION INTO THE WORLD OF WINE

CLASS II

Hello!

Last class we learnt about the different parts of the VINE, GRAPE and BERRY. We
also studied the definition of this ancient beverage: WINE

Now, we are going to study how WINE can be classified.

CLASSIFICATION OF WINE

Wines can be:

Single Varietal = made out of 1 grape variety, examples Chardonnay, Merlot, Malbec, Etc-
(Vinos Varietales)

Blend : a wine made out of 2 or more grape varieties (Vinos de corte)

WINE can be classified by…

❖ COLOUR: red, white, rosé (pink)

❖ GRAPE VARIETY: the name of the predominant variety used to make wine vs.
generic or semi-generic wine (e.g New York Champagne, California Chablis, etc.)

❖ PLACE OF ORIGIN: places where grapes were grown e.g Bordeaux, Napa Valley,
Burgundy, Chablis, etc.)

❖ PRICE: luxury premium, ultra premium, super premium, popular premium, jug
 ❖ SWEETNESS: dry wines vs . sweet wines. A wine is considered “dry” when “all” of
the grape sugar is converted to alcohol during fermentation, while a sweet wine
still has some residual sugar.

❖ EFFERVESCENCE: sparkling wines (CO2 by fermentation) (vinos espumantes);

carbonated wines (CO2 added); still wines (no perceptible effervescence)

❖ ALCOHOL: table wine (14 % or less of alcohol) vs. fortified or dessert wines
(between 14 or 24 % alcohol)

More categories of WINE

❖ Regular wines: wines that carry a non specific certification ( most of the wines we
drink)
❖ Organic wines: wines that are produced with organically grown grapes. Organic
doesn't imply that the wine doesn't have additives. There is, in fact, a list
of additives, including things like yeast and other additives like sulfites
that are allowed in some organic wines.
❖ Kosher wines: wine produced according to Judaism's religious law,
To be considered kosher, Sabbath-observant Jews must supervise and sometimes
handle the entire winemaking process, from the time the grapes are crushed until
the wine is bottle
 THE ORIGINS OF WINE

Nobody knows who "invented" wine. Its discovery was probably accidental. After
harvesting, some grapes were left in a container over the winter and the natural yeasts
and sugars converted the juice into wine.

From earliest times, the process of winemaking developed and was encouraged.
Apart from the taste, and the "magical" effect wine had on drinkers, it was granted
religious, even mystical properties. The Greek God Dionysus and the Roman God Bacchus
were high ranking Gods of wine. The Christians used sacramental wines: the miracle of the
conversion of water into wine and the use of wine to represent Christ's blood in the
communion service are examples of its importance in the Christian religion. The wine
industry would not be flourishing in California today, had not the Christian missionaries
planted vines there for religious purposes.

Although archaeologists have traced the origins of wine grapes (Vitis vinifera) back
tens of thousands of years, the first evidence of wine having actually been made from
grapes comes from a clay pot found in Persia (now Iran) dating from around 10,000 years
B.C. Our understanding of how vine growing and winemaking grew, spread and flourished
has been pieced together.

Separate waves of the great, ancient, seafaring cultures took the vine and the
secrets of winemaking on their travels along the shores of the Mediterranean and beyond.
The Greeks introduced vines wherever they set up colonies, from France to Egypt.
 This Egyptian wall painting shows each
stage of the winemaking process, from
gathering the grapes, to drinking the
finished product.

In turn the Romans spread their

vineyard lands throughout France and
to their other colonies throughout
Europe, including Great Britain.

Where is Wine Made?

The climatic conditions needed for growing quality vines are strictly defined. Vines
need cool winters when the vine can "sleep" and gather strength for the production of the
next summer's crop. Too cold though, and the roots of the vine can be damaged by frost
leading to the death of the plant. Spring must be warm and wet, though not too wet, so
that the plants can bud and produce the tiny flowers that will eventually become bunches
of grapes. Summers should be long, sunny, and hot, but again, too much heat is counter-
productive, leading to scorched fruit that ripens too quickly and doesn't have enough
quality. The autumn must be gentle and relatively dry so that the grapes can reach full
maturity and the harvest can be completed before excessive rain or cold damages the
mature grapes. These requirements exclude much of the northern and southern latitudes,
as these are too cold and have too little sun. The equatorial lands are also excluded, as
they are too hot, with no period in which the vines can rest.

Vines flourish in two quite narrow bands of latitude approximately 30-50° north
and 30-50° south of the equator.
 Only here are the climatic
conditions right for wines of
the highest standard. Wines
are made on the margins of
these latitudes, but they
are rarely consistent or of
real quality.

What is a TERROIR?

Terroir doesn´t mean “soil”. It is a combination of 4 factors:

● The type of soil and grape variety

● The climatic conditions
● The human factorGROWING:

The ideal type of soil for grape growing is:

● Poor in organic matter and rich in minerals

● Loose with good drainage

The ideal climatic conditions for grape growing are:

• Low annual rainfall
• High sun exposure
• Wide temperature range (hot days and cool nights)
• Soft winds

The human factor determines the wine personality. The two most important people in
charge of the vineyard management are:

● the Agronomist and the Enologist

 It´s time to work!  

  ● 1-Read the text: “Wine Today” and extract all the new words,
vocabulary and phrases related to Wine. Add them to the “Wine
Glossary” you created last class.
● 2-Draw a timeline with the main dates or periods of time and
important facts related to the Evolution of Wine.

Attention! The Wine Glossary, the timeline and all the activities
you do in the different classes, will be presented at the end of the
course.