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 The knowledge of wine making is so old that no one knows who the first wine makers were. We do know that the Egyptians knew how to make wine early in their civilization. Wine had more practical reason in its beginning than the mere pleasure of drinking. Ancient peoples had little pure water to drink, and they learned that alcohol formed by fermentation protected fruit juice from spoiling. The people who drank this fermented juice, or wine, did not get sick so often as those who drank the impure water. This reason for wine drinking continues down to our day in many parts of the world. Many peoples, especially those of the Latin countries, take wine as part of their regular diet and use it instead of water for drinking.
Poets have sung the praises of wine throughout the ages. Homer, Pliny, and Shakespeare wrote of the friendliness of wine. Omar Kayyam painted an immortal picture of contentment with his verse in the Rubaiyat, "A loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou." The Bible has many references to wine. Many of these warn of the intoxicating powers of wine. Once such reference is, "Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in a cup...at the last it beeth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder." (Prov.23:31-32). Again, the Bible says "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging." (Prov. 20:1). The Greek God, Dionysus (called Bacchus by the Romans), was not only the god of wine, but also was looked on as the god of good living, a lawgiver, and a promoter of civilization. Wine also has come down through the ages as part of religious celebrations such as the Roman Catholic Mass, Jewish services and some Protestant communions. Many wines are named for the places in which they first became famous. Spain, France, Italy, and the Rhine Valley in Germany are the greatest wine centers in Europe. California is now the greatest wine-producing region in the world. New York, Michigan, and Ohio also make a number of good wines.
How Wine Is Made. Wine is the fermented juice of the grape or some other fruit. Some fruit juice ferments easily because it already contains sugar. The most widely used fruits include the grape, apple, cherry, and blackberry. Wine falls into two general groups, dry and sweet, depending on the taste and the percentage of sugar remaining or added after fermentation. Wine grapes are crushed between two cylinders set far enough apart that they don't crush the seeds. The must, or juice from the crushing, is run into vats which hold from 25 to 100 barrels. The juice is then allowed to ferment the length of time needed for the type of wine wanted. The first must that flows from the crushed fruit makes the choicest wines, and is drawn off first. When the fermentation has gone on to the stage desired, the wine is drawn off into casks called tuns. It remains in these casks until it is suitable for drinking. It is this stage that the chemical changes take place which fix the bouquet or flavor and aroma of the wine. Dry wines are made by allowing most of the sugar to turn into alcohol. The sweetness of sweet wines comes from the sugar allowed to remain in the wine.
Types of Wine. | |
 Wines are classified according to the strength and appearance. Light wines contain from 8 to 14 percent alcohol. They are red or white and are either still or sparkling, depending on whether they contain natural carbon dioxide or not. Carbon dioxide is the gas that forms during fermentation an makes sparkling wines bubble. The gas is allowed to escape from still wines before they are bottled. | |
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Claret is a still wine with a rich ruby color. It contains from 12 to 14 percent alcohol. It was first made in the French province of Bordeaux, which has long been famous for many types of wines. Other still wines include Burgundy, Chianti, Rhine, Sauterne, and Moselle. Burgundy and Moselle are also produced as sparkling wines by bottling the wine before the carbon dioxide gas escapes. The most famous of sparkling wines is champagne, which is named for the French province where it was first produced. It is pale amber in color and contains about 12 per cent alcohol. A fine American sparkling wine is called Catawba, for the grape from which it its made. Fortified wines are those in which spirits, usually brandy, are added to increase the strength, or alcoholic content. Sherry, one of the best known of this type, came originally from Jerez, Spain. It is amber colored, and contains from 18 to 21 per cent alcohol. There are both dray and sweet kinds of sherry. The most famous kinds of Spanish sherry are amontillado and manzanilla. Other fortified wines are port from Oporto in Portugal, Marsala from Sicily, Malaga from Spain, Tokay from Hungary, Madeira from the islands of the same name, and muscatel. French and Italian vermouth, and Dubonnet are fortified wines to which aromatic herbs and spices have been added. These are called aromatized wines.
How Wine Is Served. Many persons prefer to serve only one wine with a meal, usually a red or white dry wine. When a number of wines are served with a formal dinner, they are served in the following manner. Dry sherry is served with the appetizer or soup. Any dry white wine goes well with oysters of fish. Meat courses are best accompanied by any dry red wine. A dry white wine should be served with creamed dishes. Burgundy is a favorite beverage with fowl or game. port is usually served with cheese before dessert. A sparkling or sweet wine is good for dessert. Wine should be served in stemmed glasses which range in size from a small glass for port tot he wide brimmed champagne glass. Sparkling wines and some dry white wines are chilled. Most others are served at near room temperature.
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