What and History of Wine

What is Wine?
Wine is fermented grape juice.
And it is the complexities of the fermentation
process that make it such a fascinating drink.

Fermentation is a chemical process which changes
normal juice into wine. Added yeast turns the sugar
in the juice into alcohol.
Carbon dioxide bubbles are also formed as a by-
product of this process giving some wines a little fizz.

Champagne, which is one of many different type of
wine, receives a second fermentation in the bottle
which gives it enough fizz for the characteristic "pop"
when it is opened.

There are three types of ordinary wine:
White.
Red.
Rose.

Each wine type offers hundreds of different wines
and tasted.

A little History
Although the earliest records of wine making date
back as far as 6000 BC, we hav the Romans to thank
for modern wine making.

In broad terms, wherever the Romans established a part
of their empire they introduce wine making.

And in France the climate and soil were particularly well
suited to growing vines; hence the strong tradition of wine
making in France, the country that still sets the standards
for quality wine.

Wine Producing Countries of the World
The most drinkable wines are found in countries which
provide ideal weather conditions for the cultivation of
grape vines. These occur in two "temperate zones"
which stretch as bands right around the world.

World wines areas;
-west coast of America
-east coast of America
-part of south America
-most of Europa
-south Africa
-southeast and southwest Australia
-part of NZ
-part of Japan
-part of Korea
-Bali

Weather and the skill of the wine-maker are perhaps the
two most crucial factors in the development of good wine.
Too much sun and grapes become too sweet; too little and
they don't contain enough sugar to turn into alcohol.

Tradition and Technology
In wine making regions, traditional skills are handed down
from father to son.
Wine makers work throughout the year, tending the vines
in winter when they look almost dead and watching as they
come alive and bear fruit with the change of the seasons.

When frost threatens, they rush to light fires to keep the
young vines warm. And sophisticated modern chemical
help in the battle against diseases that may destroy the
growing vine.
At the winery too, art and science combine to help in the
mysterious process that turn grape juice into wine.

From the first fermentation right through to bottling, the
head Cellar Master controls everything; constantly tasting,
deciding how long the wine should be left in wooden barrels,
how much to blend for the perfect flavor.