Wine - More Than A Drink, More Of A Lifestyle
Wines are a luxurious
blend of grapes and lifestyle. Wines resonate with luxury and high-class life.
A bottle of wine comes with innumerable strings attached to it. These strings
will take you to its history, the different types and blends of wines, the
meticulous harvesting process, dos and don'ts, from where the best wines come,
and a comprehensive understanding of the background. While discussing the
background of wines, what comes to our minds is the history.
HISTORY
Hello, Wine Lovers.
This is the right place for you to improve your knowledge vastly about your
favorite luxury drink. The wine that we glance gracefully today at, is said to
have been produced almost 8,000 years ago in a country named Georgia. But,
before it was produced in Georgia, China still can be said to rank on the top
if only we consider the fermented rice drink mixed with grapes as wine.
When we say Wine is
rich in culture, we are drawing a historical outline all around. Ancient Greece
and Ancient Rome contribute to our world history majorly. While conferring
about the history of wines, we cannot forget these two. The popularity of wine
in ancient Greece and Rome is said to have gained a magnificent rise. And
gradually it spread all over Europe as a definition of opulence.
Fun fact: Fermented
rice drinks are popular in Asian countries and this was reflected in the
history of wine of ancient China where they used to mix this same fermented
rice drink along with the grapes to innovate their own version of wine.
Traces of wine
production can be estimated as early as 6,000 BC. As we have heard that the
exponentially supreme wines in the whole world are found somewhere around
France and Italy, that simply doesn’t imply wines have originated on the
grounds of these countries. As mentioned above, the wines were originated in
Georgia and China according to some archaeological experts. If you try to find
out the world’s oldest winery, you will be taken to Armenia. The wines of the
modern world have no traces of association with China, Greece, Georgia, or
Rome. Instead, they are bottled in the aesthetic countries of the world where
high-class life is prevailing. These countries are France, Italy, Australia,
and many more where the high standards of living are complemented by a
luxurious and expensive glass of wine.
THE WINE-MAKING PROCESS Wine - More Than A Drink, More Of A Lifestyle
The primary step is the
harvesting of grapes that mostly takes place during the morning twilight or
even before that time to maintain the briskness of grapes. Hand-harvesting is
the most famous and pliable procedure in this context. The grapes are
transferred to the winery without any delay to maintain their freshness. The
ripeness of the grapes is also one of the major factors that are taken into
consideration while harvesting. These ripe grapes are then crushed and pressed
accordingly (depending on the types of wines) and then transferred for the
process of fermentation. In this process, the winemakers add yeast to the grape
juice so that the sugar components that are already present in the juice can be
converted into carbon dioxide and alcohol.
TYPES OF WINE
As we dig into the rich
culture of wine, we come to know about the evolution of wines through the
different stages of development of lifestyle. Introduced as one such variety,
it gradually got divided into five major sorts and they are:
Red Wines
The classiest of all, a
glass of which is curated from innumerable varieties of dark-skinned grapes
(the sole reason for the color of red wines), this alcoholic drink leaves a dry
mouth as an after affect. Red Wine is considered to be acidic in nature. We add
preservatives to our drinks, this acid acts as a preservative for the red wines
to keep the freshness alive. Ever felt a hint of sourness in your red wine? It
is because of this acid.
Let us wander around
and talk about the grapes that are used in vilification. A wide variety of
these grapes are harvested all around the world but the winemakers of the
luxurious brands always handpick the exceptional and excellent quality grapes
to make that sip of wine memorable for you. One of the most famous grapes that
is used in the winemaking process is Cabernet Sauvignon. This best-in-class
wine grape is grown and harvested all around the world but is different in
quality when we consider locations that it is grown on. Well, to say, the
first-class cabernet can be found in and around the elegance and luxury of
France.
Talking about wine
grapes and not speaking of Gamey grapes is injustice. Grown around the
Beaujolais region around France or in the Niagara Peninsula in Canada, has a
tint of berrylicious flavors. The Gamey wine always lets you end your house
parties on a perfect note with its voluptuous aroma.
Pinot Noir is the name
of a wine grape that you are definitely going to come across while researching
wine grapes. As we know that the best-quality wines are made in France, we should also be aware of the fact that the
excellence of these wines comes from the marvelous wine grapes grown mostly in
or around France. Also, the wines made from Pinot Noir are often referred to as
Pinot Noir Wines.
Now let us get out of France and explore Argentina. While exploring Argentina we find Malbec Grape that results in softer wines. Both Pinot Noir and Malbec belong to the species of Vitis Vinifera.
White Wines
As the name suggests,
white wine is primarily made up of white grapes. Remember, there’s no delay in
harvesting the grapes and their vinification to keep up the freshness. In
comparison with red wine, white wines are lighter and more refreshing in
nature. Have you heard about wines being used in cooking? White wine is one
that is often used while cooking food because of its scent and acidity.
As we mentioned
earlier, white wines are primarily confected with white grapes such as
Chardonnay or Reisling, where Chardonnay is among the world’s most popular
grapes and this too has its roots in France. Reisling comes from a different
location i.e., Germany, and is also counted as one of the most popular grapes
for white winemaking.
Rose Wine
Looking for a fruitier,
dryer, and fresher and plumper taste in wine? Why don’t you opt for a Rose Wine
instead? This form of wine has elaborate flavors of distinct fruits like melon,
strawberries along with a zesty blend inclusive of the aroma of rose petals.
What’s more luxurious than this outstanding combination? The most amazing fact
about this wine is its color. If you are a winemaker, you have all the
independence to decide the color of your Rose Wine. Rose wine is also good for
your health sometimes because of the presence of antioxidants. The process of
making this wine only gets completed after mixing both red wine and white wine.
Isn’t it beautiful how
two different wines are combined to make a different wine! This wine with a few
tannins and more strawberry or cherries or melons will definitely blend into
your taste buds and soothe you from within.
Sparkling Wine
Moving on, we are going
to discuss a wine without which every celebration is imperfect. You must have
got an idea if you are a movie freak. We see a lot of people, especially in
movies opening a bottle of Champagne, giving us a definition of luxury.
Champagne or Sparkling wine has got its name from the place namely Champagne
where it is produced in the finest way.
We call it Sparkling
wine, do you know why? It’s because it sparkles when you pour it into your
glass. The reason behind this is the presence of alcohol and carbon dioxide in
your champagne.
One of our favorite
luxury drinks, champagne is also divided into several categories depending on
its dryness. All the champagne lovers are aware of the fact that this drink is
not just made up of one kind of grapes but is an amalgamation of three different
grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier. Harvested and blended into
fine wine in the outskirts of the northwestern side of Paris, Champagne is
considered to be one of the signature drinks of most luxury hotels. These
hotels serve the best quality wine or champagne that is mainly imported from
France or Italy.
Sweet Wine
Sweet is the name and
so is its taste. Sweet wine is a blend of the sweetest of grapes resulting in
such a fine taste of this wine. It is also popularly known as a Dessert wine.
But why? Well, most people relish this wine after their food. The sweetest of the grapes can be categorized
as Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. The color of honey is similar to that of sweet
wine. This wine is considered to be expensive because of the number of
processes it has to go through while vinification.
Apart from these wines,
there’s an alcoholic drink, namely, mead is often confused as wine because of
its color. As this drink is made of honey, it acquires a golden or amber color.
Traits of a good quality
wine
A wine lover is one who
is accustomed to the different taste notes of all the wines and can easily tell
you about the best-in-class wine. A bottle of good quality wine is only made
using the best quality of grapes. The grapes and their varieties are grown all
around the world, but the quality of these grapes depends solely on the
location and the climatic conditions.
A good wine will always
have all the flavors balanced. No faults in winemaking can be appreciated as
one minor mistake will change the whole course of the wine and its tasting
notes.
Most wine lovers can
check its excellence with the aroma. The scent of a wine is considered to be
its definition of perfection. There’s a well-known etiquette of smelling the
wine before drinking it that enhances the taste of the wine.
Dos and Don’ts
The most important
etiquette of drinking wine is choosing the correct glass according to the wine
that you are going to devour. Such as Bordeaux glass to enhance your experience
of red wine consumption and a tulip glass for your sparkling wine as the tulip
glass lets your wine bubbles sparkle by providing it with some space.
Use frozen grapes
instead of ice. Not most of us use frozen grapes but we should definitely
replace ice with them as ice tends to dilute your wine, resulting in a
reduction of aroma and damaging the original taste of the wine.
Whenever you are
attending a wine tasting event, you should definitely be mindful of the fact
that you need to abstain from getting too tipsy. Remember, it is a place where
you enjoy and also let others enjoy the vibe of the place and the wine. It is a
place where you don’t want to ruin the experience of people or yourself. Why
not just relish the vibe and the taste along with the aroma of all those great
wines?
WINE CLUBS
Do you have an idea
about wine clubs? Well, it is a modern way of promoting the wine culture where
people who are passionate about wines come together and share the same space to
soar their persisting knowledge of wines. These clubs can be organized by
independent people or by the wine shop owners too. Here, the customers or the
members get a themed experience about your favorite white wines, red wines, or
other varieties. Some activities are taken into consideration to improve the
knowledge about wines such as quizzes. There are a number of such wine clubs in
the USA like The California Wine Club, WINC, Wine Access Wine Club, and more.
Health and wine
As we know that alcohol
is dangerous for health and wine has at least 14-16% of alcohol content in it.
This alcohol is produced while the fermentation process where yeast is used as
a convertor of sugar into carbon dioxide and alcohol. But if consumed in a
limited amount, a wine’s medicinal properties can be used. Wines are best known
for their antioxidants and keeping your heart healthy. Not to forget: It also
regulates your blood sugar level. But these are only possible when you don’t
intoxicate yourself.
So, to all the wine
lovers, we want to convey a message. You should savor this luxurious drink for
the excellent vibe, which is what it is recognized for and not for
intoxication.
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