Wine has been called the drink of the gods. This may be debatable, but it has definitely been the drink of the ages. Here is an overview of wine you can sip on.

An Overview of Wine - The Drink of Gods

Wine is one of the oldest drinks known to mankind. Although historians may not be entirely sure that this is how the fermentation of wine started, an overview of the history of wine is full of interesting tidbits.

Made of fermented grape juice, wine is an alcoholic beverage that is both made and drunk in many parts of the world. The history of wine starts over 5000 years ago. It was said to have been discovered when grapes were left for too long in amphorae or earthenware jugs. These grapes somehow became tainted with wild yeast, which caused the grapes to ferment. Some courageous individual took a drink and realized the fermentation process had produced something that would be come known as wine.

There are several different basic types of wine. The most basic breakdown is red wine and white wine. When the grapes that make these varieties of wine are combined, a rose or blush wine can be created. If the wine is allowed to ferment in a way that produces carbon dioxide bubbles, it becomes a sparkling wine. If the sparkling wine comes from a particular region in France called Champagne, it is known as Champagne. There are also fortified wines - these wines are also fermented from grapes, but additional amounts of alcohol from other sources are added to the wine to raise its alcohol content. An example of a fortified wine is brandy.

Making wine is not an easy process - the fermentation of a really good wine may take years or even decades to complete. The type of oak barrel that wine is typically fermented in is also the result of a difficult process. Out of the 400 species of oak that grow on Earth, only 20 species are used in oak barrels for winemaking. Of those 20 species, only 5 percent of the wood taken from these trees is deemed good enough to be made into wine barrels.

The amount of grapes needed to produce quality wine is another of the many mind boggling wine tidbits known. Generally, it takes four clusters or 300 grapes to produce just one bottle of wine. Since there are only about 40 clusters of grapes produced on a grapevine per year, this means that each vine is only capable of making 10 bottles of wine. Given this fact, it is pretty amazing that wine is as cheap as we find it.

As you can see, wine is a not a simple fermentation process. The next time you drink a glass of your favorite chardonnay, think about the difficult journey that it made from grape to bottle.

About the Author

Xavier Moldini is with WineriesforYou.com - a directory of wineries.

Sparkling Wines and More

An Overview of Wine - The Drink of Gods


Wine has been called the drink of the gods. This may be debatable, but it has definitely been the drink of the ages. Here is an overview of wine you c...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Sparkling Wines Items For Viewing

Pineau Des Charentes White & Red


At some time toward the end of the 16th Century, a worker in one of the cellars in the Cognac region of France made the mistake of putting some newly made wine into a barrel already containing a small amount of Cognac. The result of this error has come to be known as Pineau de Charentes and has been made ever since. The outstanding quality is the result of exceptional soil conditions, the classic low yield grape varieties: Semillion and Sauvignon, a lengthy aging in oak casks and above all, the devotion to the tradition of excellence. The classic aperitif, the ideal partner to desserts and, indeed the perfect accompaniment to every happy occasion, a great combo in one beautiful bottle. Great gift for dessert lover! Serve Chilled. FRWPS7NV FRWPS7NV


Price: 59.95 USD



Headlines on Sparkling Wines

Over 8,000 Wine Retailers Now Listed On Wine-Searcher.com

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:01 -0800
Auckland, New Zealand (PRWEB) November 14, 2006 -- Wine-Searcher (www.wine-searcher.com) reveals that the number of wine sellers listed in its search engine has reached 8,000. The site's range of...

WineWeb.com Allows Direct Winery-to-Trade Sales

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 00:00:01 -0800
Santa Fe, NM (PRWEB) February 22, 2006 -- The WineWeb has expanded its electronic marketplace to foster the growth of direct winery-to-trade sales. While several states allow wineries to sell direct...

Wine Storage and Presentation needs of the Hospitality Industry become the focus of HospitalityWineRacking.com

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 00:00:01 -0800
High Falls, NY (PRWEB) November 16, 2005 -- WineRacks.com, manufacturers of private residential wine cellars, retail wine store racking and wine racking systems for the restaurant and hospitality...

New Study Reveals Wine Industry Suffers 'Curse of Orson Welles'

Fri, 09 Sep 2005 00:00:01 -0700
St. Helena, CA (PRWEB) September 9, 2005 -- A national survey of U.S. wine consumers released today shows that most people who enjoy wine don't know what the vintage date on a wine label means,...


Gift Ideas
Hanna Wine | Home Wine

Labels: Wine Quotes

&type=page">