What is wine?

In this post I will cover a variety of different topics surrounding wine these include: What is wine? History of wine? How wine is made? What are the different grape variety’s? Wine and food parings and finally what my favourite red, rose and white wine is

 So, what is wine?

The official definition is that wine is an alcoholic beverage. That is made from the fermentation of grapes, this is done by the grapes being crushed (Robinson, 2016). However, in my opinion wine is so much more! Wine to me is a great drink that can not only be drank on its own but can paired with food, I loved to drink wine with my friends and have a catch up, also as there is so many varieties of wine it can be matched with so many different palates.

 

What is the History of wine?

Ever wonder how wine became a thing? In this section I will tell you. Wine has been around since 6000 BC around 8000 years ago, wine originates from the Zagros mountains in the area of Iran, Iraq and Turkey this is where first production of wine can be found (Henderson & Rex,  2005).

In 4000 BC around 6000 years ago wine was found to be drunk in Mesopotamia area, this is made up of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey which the main region in these countries now is Islam and, in this religion, alcohol is not permitted to be drunk, this is interesting because this is where wine was first produced and seen to be drank.  Then 3000 BC around 5000 years ago the production of  wine moves to Greece and Egypt, this is also interesting because people do not associate these countries with mass production of wine in current time. 2000 BC around 4000 years ago the Greeks become a major distributor in wine. 1000 BC around 3000 years ago the Phoenicians this is the north west region of Syria start to export wine. Furthermore; around this time the Romans discovered wine and they started to produce wine on a large scale (Henderson & Rex,  2005).

Then 1000 years AD this is where it can be seen that there was a growth in church vineyards, in England there was 42 vineyards which history suggests that they can be found as far north as Leeds, these vineyards where uses in religion and as source of income. Then vineyards are starting to appear in South America as the Spanish move across the Atlantic.  This is where the new world wines start, these include Chile, Brazil, California, Australia and New Zealand amongst other place the old-world wine come from Europe. One of the reason that the new world wines are still as prominent was because in the 1800’s Prophylaxes this is fungus kills off the grape and vines appeared in Europe, and  only affected Europe, this affected the production and the price. In the 2000’s wine can be seen moving into China, Thailand and across the middle east (Henderson & Rex,  2005).

 

How is wine made?

White wine is made by firstly picking the grapes, secondly crushing the grapes, thirdly pressing the grapes, fourthly fermenting, fifthly maturation which takes place in either oak barrels or steel vats and finally bottling of the wine (WEST, 2017).

Red wine is made by firstly, picking the grape, secondly crushing the grapes, thirdly, fermenting, fourthly draining, fifthly pressing, sixthly maturation which takes place in either oak barrels or steel vats and finally bottling of the wine (WEST, 2017).

Rose wine is made by firstly picking the grapes, secondly crushing the grapes, thirdly fermentation, fourthly draining after only a few hours, fifthly maturation and finally bottling (WEST, 2017).

 

What are the different grape varieties?    

There are thousands of different grapes. So, I’m only going to cover a few of the more widely known grapes. These include Carbente Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz and Zinfandel.

 

Carbente Sauvignon is a black grape variety this grape variety produces white wine which are grown in California, Australia, Chile and South Africa. The main flavours that can be tasted with this wine are Blackcurrant, Green Bell Peppers, Mint, Vanilla and Oak this is due to the fact that it is left for maturation in an oak barrel (Henderson & Rex,  2005).

 

Chardonnay is a white grape variety this grape variety produces red wine which are grown in Burgundy, Chablis region of France, California and Australia. The main flavours that can be tasted with this wine are Apple, Lemon, Peach, Pineapple, Vanilla and Oak this is due to the fact that it is left for maturation in an oak barrel (Henderson & Rex,  2005).

 

Merlot is a black grape variety this grape variety produces red wine, often blended with Carbente Sauvignon which are grown in California and Chile. The main flavours that can be tasted with this wine are Red Plum, Blackberry, Vanilla and Oak this is due to the fact that it is left for maturation in an oak barrel (Henderson & Rex,  2005).

 

Pinot Grigio is a black grape variety this grape variety produces white wine, this done because as soon as the grapes have been crushed all the skins are removed,  which are grown in Italy and small areas of America. The main flavours that can be tasted with this wine are Pear and Lemon, maturation normally takes place is a steel vat (Henderson & Rex,  2005).

 

Pinot Noir is a black grape variety this grape variety produces red wine, often blended with chardonnay to produce champagne,  which are grown in New Zealand. The main flavours that can be tasted with this wine are Strawberry , Red Cherry, Vanilla and Oak this is due to the fact that it is left for maturation in an oak barrel (Henderson & Rex,  2005).

Riesling is a white grape variety this grape variety produces white wine, which are grown in Germany. The main flavours that can be tasted with this wine are Floral, Lime and Peach (Henderson & Rex,  2005).

 

Sauvignon Blanc  is a white grape variety this grape variety produces white wine, which are grown in New Zealand. The main flavours that can be tasted with this wine are Apple, Asparagus, Lemon and Green Bell Peppers (Henderson & Rex,  2005).

 

Shiraz  is a black grape variety this grape variety produces red wine, which are grown in The Northern Rhone in France and Australia. The main flavours that can be tasted with this wine are Blackberry, Pepper, Vanilla and Oak this is due to the fact that it is left for maturation in an oak barrel. It is left for maturation for 10 to 20 years (Henderson & Rex,  2005).

 

Zinfandel is a black grape variety this grape variety produces rose wine, often native to Europe and is also grown in California. The main flavours that can be tasted with this wine are Strawberry ad Raspberry (Henderson & Rex,  2005).

 

What wine goes with What foods? Or wine and food paring?

Ever wondered what wine would best go with some of your favourite dishes? Well in this section I will tell you about the wines that I mentioned earlier and show you my favourite dishes and what wine is best paired with that.

 

Carbente Sauvignon – my favourite foods that best goes with this wine are, Beef in a roast dinner, rib eye and sirloin stakes, any dish containing celeriac, chili con carne, chocolate, are garlic dish, a rack of lamb, any dish containing mushrooms and sausages these are only a few options that are just my favourite foods but there are many more foods  (Moore, 2017).

 

Chardonnay – my favourite foods that best goes with this wine are, Butter, Chicken dishes, Kiev’s, Smoked Chicken, Enchiladas, Finish Salmon Soup, Lobster, Mushroom Risotto, Crab Linguine, Pork, Prawns, Fresh Tomatoes, Salmon, Scallops, Solfège and Tandoori, these are only a few options that are just my favourite foods but there are many more foods (Moore, 2017).

Merlot – my favourite foods that best goes with a Merlot are, Beef in a roast dinner, Sirloin Stake, BBQ Sauce, any dish containing Celeriac, Chilli Con Crane, Enchiladas and Lamb, these are only a few options that are just my favourite foods but there are many more foods (Moore, 2017).

 

Pinot Grigio – my favourite foods that best goes with Pinot Grigio are, Carbonara, Enchiladas, Seafood and Sea Bass  these are only a few options that are just my favourite foods but there are many more foods (Moore, 2017).

 

Pinot Nior – my favourite foods that best goes with Pinot Nior are, Beef in a roast dinner, Beef Wellington, Burgers, Caviar, Christmas Dinner, Crispy Duck and Pancakes, Duck, Gammon, any dish containing Mushrooms, Pork, Pulled Pork, Salmon, Tarragon and Thanksgiving dinners these are only a few options that are just my favourite foods but there are many more foods (Moore, 2017).

 

Riesling – my favourite foods that best goes with Riesling are, Ginger, Cheese, Lemon Tart and Lime  these are only a few options that are just my favourite foods but there are many more foods (Moore, 2017).

 

Sauvignon Blanc  – my favourite foods that best goes with Sauvignon Blanc are, Butter, any dish containing Celeriac, Kiev, Fondue, Salmon, Sword Fish and Fresh Tomatoes these are only a few options that are just my favourite foods but there are many more foods (Moore, 2017).

 

Shiraz – my favourite foods that best goes with Shiraz are, Beef in a roast dinner, Chilli Con Carne, Chocolate, Mushroom Risotto and Sausages these are only a few options that are just my favourite foods but there are many more foods (Moore, 2017).

 

Zinfandel – my favourite foods that best goes with Zinfandel are, Beef in a roast dinner, Chilli Con Carne, Enchiladas, Fish Finger Sandwiches, Pulled Pork and Thanksgiving Dinner these are only a few options that are just my favourite foods but there are many more foods (Moore, 2017).

 

What are my favourite wines?

I enjoy drinking wine and do not have one set go to wine as all of my favourite wine have similar traits in being dry or have oak flavours however if I was to pick just some specific wines then I would choose as my favourite white as a chardonnay as it is full bodied, dry and has oak notes, my favourite Rose would be a Pinot Grigio Blush as it is light bodied and citrusy wine and finally my favourite Red Wine is a Carbente Sauvignon as this wine is a dry medium bodied wine with notes of oak and vanilla

Reference List

Henderson, J.P. & Rex, D. (2005). About Wine. New York: Thomson Delmar Learning.

Moore, V. (2017). The Wine Dine Dictionary . London: Granta Publications.

Robinson, J. (2016). The 24-Hour Wine Expert . London: Penguin Books.

WEST. (2017). An introduction to wine. London: Wines & Spirits Education Trust.