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Wine

Introduction
The vine grows most successfully between the latitude 30-50° north and 30-50° south of the equator. Some of the greatest wine, like champagne come from the extremities of these wine belts where because of the extreme cold or extreme heat, the wine has a permanent struggle to service. The vine usually produces good quality grapes when it is five year old and will continue to yield healthy grapes up to the age of 35 years.

History
Wine is probably the earlier of the alcoholic beverages, simple because it could be made without the maker has to understand the chemical change that turned the sugar in grapes, other fruits and other product into alcohol. Some of these earlier, wines were made from Honey and were known as mead. Indeed wine may have been brewed in Mesopotamia. It have been made as long as ten thousand years ago.
 
Wine is mentioned in documents three thousand year old as well as in the Bible and in the literature of the Greeks and Roman Bees has been Kurun as long as wine. Wine making goes as for back into history as the act of cooking food goes. Ever since the time man started enjoying his food, he has known the art of making wine to go with it. The metamorphosis wine underwent from the stages where the juice of fruit simply left for a long time and allowed to ferment to the refined wine as we know it, today it took a very long time. The efforts put in by the various vineyard and the wine makers in perfecting the act of making good wine and in keeping the formula and the process a secret have contributed to giving as the wine as we know it today. In countries like France, the formula and the process, individually to every grower is a very jealously guarded secret that is passed down the generation only through members of the family.
 
The top ten wine producing countries are :
1.      Italy
2.      France 
3.      Spain
4.      U.S.A.
5.      C.I.S.
6.      Argentina
7.      Germany
8.      Portugal
9.      South Africa
10.  Romania
 
The top ten wine consuming countries are :
France                   67.5 lit per capital
Portugal                 66.5 lit per capital
Italy                       62.0 lit per capital
Luxemburg             60.3 lit per capital
Argentina               45.8 lit per capital
Spain                     45.8 lit per capital
Switzerland            45.5 lit per capital
Chile                      41.0 lit per capital
Austria                   39.2 lit per capital
Greece                   31.8 lit per capital
 
As a contrast, the United Kingdom consumes 12.5 lit per capital. Although Britain is traditionally regarded as a nation of beer drinks the consumption of wine has now dramatically increased. One of the effects of the secret recessions is that more and more people are having their diner at home rather than going out for a meal. For massy that means having a couple of glasses of wine when they eat. It is now estimated that home consumption of wine makes up 75% of the market. A greater interest in television and the obvious deterrent of the drink driving laws have also influenced this trend. You can now get the quality wine at a reasonable price in super market and other outlet. Wine has become socially acceptable and is perceived to be more clearly healthy than other alcohol drinks
 
Principle Grape varieties used in wine : 
White grapes
Aligole
Bacchus

Making of Wine 
The various process involved in the process of making wine –
1.       Harvesting
2.       Grading
3.       Weighing
4.       Removal of stalks
5.       Crushing
6.       Sulphuring
7.       Fermentation
8.       Cellaring & second processing
9.       Racking
10.     Fining & Filtering
11.     Refrigeration
12.     Blending
13.     Maturing of wine
14.     Bottling of wines
15.     Pasteurization
16.     Ageing of wine
 
Factors Affecting wine quality
 
A number of factors effect wine quality, the most important being the type of grape used. The best grapevine is the vitis vinifera, which has many different varieties. The grape yield per acre is also a factor. The higher the yield is the lower the wine quality will generally be conversely, the lower the yield is the more concentrated the grape flavours and the better the wine quality will be normally, a ton of gushed grapes yield an average of 170 gallon of Table wine.
 
Soil is also a factor the best being one that offers good drainage, which is why gravel and sand are better than clay. Good drainage forces the wines root to seek deep moisture which cause their root to become longer. These longer roots are able to reach deep mineral deposits and these mineral, in turn, add flavour to gapes and this to wine.
 
Another factor is climate Grape vines like Cool nights and Sunny, warm days, as these help them maintain the right balance between acid and sugar in the grapes. However, too hot weather when the grapes are maturing, near harvest times, will decrease the acid and increase the sugar and will produce a wine that may not age well. On the other hand too little sunshine will reduces the amount of grape sugar and produce a wine low in alcohol and as a result, sugar may have to be added before fermentation to raise that alcohol level. Also rain at harvest time can diluted the grapes sugar and encourages rolling thereby lowering the quality of the wine. Mechanical grapes-picking equipment can give grapes growers more control over the grapes quality than hand picking can as all the grape can be picked quickly when they all at their peak of ripeness. But if rain has spoiled some of the grape bunches, hand picking will allow those to be by passed.
 
Finally, the skills of the winemaker are extremely important as it can affect the personality and quality of the wine produced. The vintner’s skill can also very, because of local tradition and will dictate the type of wine made. The market for whom the wine is to be manufactured also calls upon different wine making skills. For example, if the wine to be made in a smaller quantity with a high quality or in a larger quantity with a lesser quality for a broader market.
 
Vitis Vinifera 
The best wines are made from a type of vine as known Vitis Vinifera. Some of which are known to be three hundred years only. This wine grows best in his broad belts one north and the other south of the equator. Grapes can be grown outside these belts and be turned into wine, but its quality is not considered as high as that from vines grown within these belts. The northern belt includes as knowledge wine making countries such as France, Italy, Germany and the United States. The Southern belt embraces Chile, Argentina, Australia and South Africa vines will yield more grapes when planted in fertile soil on flat land but the wine made from such grapes will seldom be comparable in quality to wine made from grapes grown on sunny slopes in soil that may not be fertile but is rich in the mineral that create a special, characteristic, known as bouquet, that is present in all quality wines.
As the grapes mature, their sugar content increases and their acid content decreased. Grape growers thus must know when the balance between sugar and acid is just right to produce the best wine.
 
Types of wine
There are three basic types of wine: still, sparkling and fortified. All three will be given below in detail –
 
Still wine or table wine 
Most wine is still wine which is known as dinner or table wine. It can be provided in various shades of red, rose and white and has an alcohol content generally ranging from 9 to 14 percent by volume.
a.       Red wine is often more full than rose or white and is often heartier, taster and dries. Red wine is best served at room temperature and some red wine can be served chilled which are young red wine.
b.       Rose wine may be slightly sweet & often has a fruity flavour. Rose wines are best served chilled. Rose wine colour is mainly from pals pink to red.
c.       White wine vary from a pale strain colour to a deep gold. Whites are lighter bodied and more delicate than red wine and has less pronounced flavour. White wines are served chilled.
Much still wine is referred to by the French Le Vin ordinoire which means as inexpensive wine of agreeable quality produced in great quality for every any consumption by the inhabitants of France and other. European countries very little of this wine is exported to North America.
 
Sparkling Wine 
Sparkling wine contains carbon dioxide bubbles which provide their effervescence. The carbon dioxide is produced either through a natural process of fermentation that does not allow the carbondioxide to escape during the conversion of the grape sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide or it is added to still wine after the fermentation is complete.
Red rose and white wines all can be made into sparkling wines. Whatever the colour sparkling wine is best served chilled like still wines, spackling wines range from 9 to 14 percent alcohol by volume.
The best known naturally produced sparkling wine is champagne. Although only the sparkling wine produced in the champagne region of France is true champagne (with a capital C) the champagne method can be applied to any wine to make it sparkling. In Germany, sparkling wine is given the name “Schaumwein” and in Italy it is ‘Spumante’.
 
Fortified wines 
Fortified wines are still wines to which has been added a distilled grape spent such as brandy. This fortification considerably increases the wines alcohol content which ranges from 15% to as high as 24 percent by volume. Fortified wines vary from very dry to very sweet and are usually served before or at the conclusion of a meal. The best known fortified wines are poet, sherry, vermouth, Madeira and Macola.
 
Sweetness in sparkling wine 
Extra trut     :      Very dry (upto 6 g)
Brut             :      Very dry (less than 15 g)
Extra Sec     :      Dry (12 to 20 g)
Sec              :      Slightly sweet (17 to 35 g)
Demi Sec     :      Sweetish (35 to 50 g)
 
Factor affecting quality of wine
1.       Soil of the area
2.       Weather condition present in the region during the year
3.       The types of grapes used and if different variety are used, the proportion on which they are mixed
4.       Artificial or natural ingredient added if any.
5.       Period of maturity
6.       The number of growths during the year

Storage of wines 
Temperature: A steady moderate temperature is essential for maintaining the quality of a wine. It can vary from 0°C to 24°C. However these changes in the temperature must be gradual. This is the reason why cellar are preferred for storage of wine. White wines are more sensitive to temperature variation than red wines.

Light: Exposure to light encourages oxidation and hence accelerates aging. Therefore wine must never be exposed to sunlight.

Stability: Violent and frequent motion also accelerates the process of aging in a wine. Hence wine must be stored such that it is not subjected to movement Bed wine in the process of manufacture must not be distributed as the sediment to blend in the wine and thus get a perfectly good wine.

Position: A wine must always be stored in a lifted or lying down position. The entry affair through a day cock increase oxidation and hence a cock must be maintained moist. A dry cock crumbs when being opened thus spoiling the taste and appearance of the wine. This is the reason why wines are always stored lying down.
 
Glass required for wine service
 
1.       White wine or hock capacity     :         5½ oz
2.       A.P. wine or red wine              :         7 oz
3.       Champagne saucer                 :         6 oz
4.       Champagne tulip                     :         9 oz
5.       Sherry                                    :         3 oz
 
Equipment required jar service of wine
 
1.       Wine basket or wine stand with ice
2.       Wine opener
3.       Waiters cloth
4.       Quarter plate
5.       Proper glassware
 
Service of Wine
Presentation of Bottle –
Draw the wine from the cellar and take it to the table properly wrapped in a waiter cloth. Present the wine bottle to the host from the right with the bottle resting on the forearm while announcing the name of wine and clearly stating the year of manufacture this is to make clear and sure that the host being given the bottle has ordered for this is also the good chance for him to check that the wine is being served at the right temperature.

Opening the bottle –
Cut the foil well below the tip of the bottle and tear it off wipe the mouth to remove any mould that may have formed near the cock. Insert the corkscrew into the cork not more than 3/4th of the way into the cock to avoid contact with the wine. Draw the cock out gently & present it to the host for approval on a plate the inspection of the cock gives the host as ideal of the aroma to expect from the wine. It also tells the host that the bottle has been stored in the proper manner and that the cock has not crumbled on being drawn.
 3.       Pouring – Pour wine into the host's glass and wait for him or her to taste it and approve. Once the host approves the wine pour it to the guest, starting from the host left hand and pureed in a clockwise direction. Make sure you serve the ladies first. The host must or served last.
 4.       Put the bottle back in the basket or wine basket with an appropriate wrapped napkin. If the bottle is empty it must be placed neck back down in the wine stand after showing to the host.
 5.       A few general rules to note while pouring wine –
·         Never from wine from a height
·         Never touch the rim of the glass
·         Pour it quality gently avoiding bubbling
·         Pour only 2/3rd of the glass or up to the logo
·         While pouring champagne always remembers that champagne is always "poured twice" which means you pour a little. Wait for the froth to dry down and then pour again to fill the glass.
·         After pouring twist the bottle slightly to avoid the last drops dripping down the side.
·         When pouring the wine pour steadily on the slope of the glass on the opposite side ensure the flow is smooth.
·         When changing the wine or when serving a fresh bottle always serve in fresh glasses.
·         Before discarding an empty bottle show it to the host to avoid confusion later on.
 
Opening a Champagne Bottle 
Remove the foil and the wine holding the cork in its place. Hold the bottle resting in the forearm or place it in the wine bucket (but never on the table). Holding the bottle with one hand, the cork in the other. Gently but firmly twist the cork and allow the pressure of the carbon dioxide inside to push out the cork. A properly opened champagne cork should not let out much of a sound only a slightly pop or a hiss. Do not let cork fly out of your hand as this may damage properly or hurt somebody.
 
Wine Facts 
A proper wine glass should be large enough to contain a full serving without approaching being halfway filled. A glass of from ten to fourteen ounce capacity works well. This provides adequate space for both swirling without spilling and to gain the "chimney effect" that concentrates and directs the vapors that carry the wine's smells. A glass of this size is also not so large as to be awkward or unwieldy.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has recognized a particular shape that is the accepted benchmark at all wine judging and competitions. It is also suitable for the average wine drinker as an all around, every day glass. It should be made of transparent, colorless glass with a lead content of up to 9%. Its dimensions are just under 6 inches (155 mm) tall, with a two inch (5 cm) tall stem and a four-inch (100 mm) tall bowl, about two and a half inches (65 mm) at its widest diameter and two inches (46 mm) across the rim.

One Glass of Wine Contains: 
9.7ozs of grapes 
6.4ozs of wine

 International Toasts

Q: What is an ice wine?
Ice wine is a specialty wine made from grapes, which have remained on the vines until after the first frost. These grapes have a more intense flavor and sweetness. Because of its intensity, ice wine is drunk as a dessert or after dinner wine in a much smaller quantity. It normally is sold in smaller bottles and tends to have a higher cost --- as the harvest is generally smaller as well.

Q: What does “late harvest” mean?
   Late harvest refers to when the grapes are removed from the vines. Late harvest grapes have had more time on the vine and have therefore grown sweeter with time, due to a higher concentration of sugar. A wine made from late harvest grapes, such as late harvest Riesling will be sweeter.

Q: What are French Hybrid grapes?
  Pennsylvania has great terrain for French Hybrid grapes, such as Chambourcin, Seyval Blanc, Baco Noir, Vignoles, and Marechal Foch. Vinifera (vin-if-fur-ah) grapes come from the old world, primarily Europe, and produce the drier wines many connoisseurs appreciate, such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir. All of these different types of grapes grow throughout the state.

Q: How long can I store wine?
   Wine ages in the bottle. Whether it should age for a month or years is dependant on the type of wine. Light, crisp, white or sweet wines generally should be consumed while young – within a year or so. Big, bold reds and some Chardonnays benefit from age. You may want to allow them to age for years.
 
Q: How long will wine retain its flavor after opening?
 Once a bottle of wine is opened, the air immediately starts to affect the taste and smell. If you do not drink an entire bottle, try using a “vacu-pump” device to pull out all the air. Then tightly re-cork the bottle. White wine will usually keep for two to three days after the initial opening; red will keep about three to five days. Remember, you also can use your remaining wine in many recipes! White wine is great over chicken or to stir fry vegetables, etc. Red wine adds great flavor to red sauces, chili and beef fondue.

Q: How should I store my wine?
 Wine with a cork closure should be stored on its side to prevent the cork from drying out. Wine with a synthetic closure does not have to be stored on its side, but wine racks are just so handy. Wine likes dark, consistently cool storage areas. Exposure to intense light and heat can ruin a wine.

As a rule of thumb most red wines will benefit from breathing. White wines that have had 12 or more months aging may also benefit from decanting. If you don't have a proper decanter, use any large mouth glass container. The idea is to expose the maximum surface to the air, to help open up the fruit flavors and develop the wine's true character.

If a wine has spent up to 12 months in oak barrels allow 1 hour; 
24 months allow 2 hours; 36 months, allow 3 hours. 
If there is sediment use a filter to decant (a coffee filter works just fine).
Did you know?

• To prevent a sparkling wine from foaming out of the glass, pour an ounce, which will settle quickly. Pouring the remainder of the serving into this starter will not foam as much. 
  Old wine almost never turns to vinegar. It spoils by oxidation.

• In 1999 Merlot was the "hot" varietal, but 50 years earlier in 1949, the "darling of the California wine industry" was Muscatel.

• A 1889 newspaper that described the Napa Valley crop as the finest of its kind grown in the U.S., was referring to hops. 

• Wine has so many organic chemical compounds it is considered more complex than blood serum. 

• 170 years - the average age of a French oak tree harvested for use in wine barrels.

• Portugal has 1/3 of the world's cork forests and supplies about 90% of the cork used in the U.S.

• Beaujolais Nouveau cannot be legally released until the third Thursday of every November. In 2003 the date is Nov. 20th. 

• 20 million acres are planted to grapes worldwide? 

• Worldwide wine grapes as a crop rank #1 in number of acres planted.

• 30 million gallons of wine were lost in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. 

• There are 10,000 varieties of wine grapes worldwide.

• The 19th century American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, mentions wine more than 300 times in his works.

• The soil of the Clos de Vougeot (A vineyard in the Burgundy) is considered so precious that workers are required to scrape it from their shoes before they leave each night.

• The largest cork tree in the world is known as ‘The Whistler Tree’. This tree is located in the Alentejo region of Portugal and averages over 1 ton of raw cork per harvest. Enough to cork 100,000 bottles.

• The dye used to stamp the grade on meat is edible. It's made from grape skins
  During prohibition, a product called the 'Grape Brick' was sold across America. Attached to the 'brick' of dried and pressed winegrape concentrate was a packet of yeast, and the warning, "Do not add yeast or fermentation will result."

• McDonald's restaurants in some European countries serve alcohol, so parents would be more willing to take their children to them.

• The Puritans loaded more beer than water onto the Mayflower. 

• The word "toast," meaning a wish of good health, started in ancient Rome, where a piece of toasted bread was dropped into wine.

• Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thumb or finger into the liquid to determine the ideal temperature for adding yeast, giving us the phrase "rule of thumb."
  In old England, a whistle was baked into the handle of ceramic mugs. When they wanted a refill, patrons used the whistle to get service. So when people went drinking, they would "wet their whistle."

• The pressure in a bottle of champagne is about 90 pounds per square inch, about three times the pressure in automobile tires.

• Junipero Serra is considered to be the "Father" of the California Wine industry, and was responsible for planting grapevines at every one of the 9 missions he established throughout the state.

• The first fine wine grapes in California were planted in Downtown Los Angeles at the current site of the Union Train Station. Jean-Louis Vignes, a native of Bordeaux planted the vines in 1833

• The oldest known grapevine in the world is more than 400 years old and located in Yarra, Slovenia. It is carefully pruned every year and shoots are presented as gifts to communities around the world.
  
  Other Facts

• Jefferson and wine: From Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West, by Stephen E Ambrose, comes the following historical note. Jefferson took up residence in the President’s House in 1801, after his inauguration as the 3rd President of the United States.

• “Jefferson ran the place with only eleven servants (Abigail Adams had needed 30!), brought up from Monticello. There were no more powdered wigs, much less ceremony. Washington and Adams, according to Republican critics, had kept up almost a royal court. Jefferson substituted Republican simplicity - to a point. He had a French chef, and French wines he personally selected. His salary was $25,000 per year - a princely sum, but the expenses were also great. In 1801 Jefferson spent $6500 for provisions and groceries, $2700 for servants (some of whom were liveried), $500 for Lewis’s salary, and $3,000 for wine.”

• Dom Perignon (1638-1715), the Benedictine Abbey (at Hautvillers) cellar master who is generally credited with “inventing” the Champagne making process, was blind.
  Thomas Jefferson helped stock the wine cellars of the first five U.S. presidents and was very partial to fine Bordeaux and Madeira.

• To prevent a sparkling wine from foaming out of the glass, pour an ounce, which will settle quickly. Pouring the remainder of the serving into this starter will not foam as much.
  Old wine almost never turns to vinegar. It spoils by oxidation.

• U.S. 1998 sales of white and blush wines were 67% of total table wine sales. Red wines were 33% of sales. At Beekman’s, the best we can calculate (since we don’t track the color of wine sales from Chile, Australia or Spain or of jug wines) is that our sales of white and blush comprised only 45% of total wine sales. Reds accounted for 55%. That’s in dollars, not unit sales. American wines accounted for 47% of our wine sales vs. 53% for imported wines.

• In King Tut’s Egypt (around 1300 BC), the commoners drank beer and the upper class drank wine.

• According to local legend, the great French white Burgundy, Corton-Charlemagne, owes its existence, not to the emperor Charlemagne, but to his wife. The red wines of Corton stained his white beard so messily that she persuaded him to plant vines that would produce white wines. Charlemagne ordered white grapes to be planted. Thus: Corton-Charlemagne!

• When Leif Ericsson landed in North America in A.D. 1001, he was so impressed by the proliferation of grapevines that he named it Vinland.
  Cork was developed as a bottle closure in the late 17th century. It was only after this that bottles were lain down for aging, and the bottle shapes slowly changed from short and bulbous to tall and slender.
  The Napa Valley crop described in 1889 newspapers as the finest of its kind grown in the U.S. was hops.

• When Mount Vesuvius buried Pompeii in volcanic lava in A.D. 79, it also buried more than 200 wine bars.

• The “top five” chateau of Bordeaux, according to the 1855 Classification, were actually only four: Lafite-Rothschild, Latour, Margaux and Haut-Brion. In the only change to that historic classification, Mouton-Rothschild was added in 1973.