Here’s some basic information about wine principles that you should and must know.
What is wine?
Wine is an alcoholic beverage made with fermented grape juice. Technically, wine can be made with any fruit, but most wines are made with wine grapes. Most wines are made with a single specie of grape that originated in caucasus called Vitis Vinifera.
Wine Grapes
Wine grapes are different than table grapes. They are much smaller, they have seeds, and they're also sweeter than table grapes.
Grapevines
Grapevines take a year to grow grapes. The harvest in the Northern Hemisphere is August - October, and the harvest in the Southern Hemisphere is February - April.
Vintage
Vintage refers to the year when the grapes were harvested. Non-vintage (NV) wines are blend of several harvests.
Single Varietal
A single-varietal wine is made with one grape variety (e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon).
Wine Blend
A wine blend is made by mixing several wines together. They typically consist of at least two or more grapes. Blending makes wines more complex, and is used to maximize the expression of them.
Temperate Climate
A temperate climate is were grapes grow best. In North America, grapes grow from Northern Mexico to Southern Canada. (e.g. California)
Cooler Climates
Regions with cooler climates make wines taste more tart. (e.g. New Zealand).
Warmer Climates
Regions with warmer climates make wines that taste more ripe. (e.g. Spain).
Wine Labels
Wines can be labeled by grape variety, by region and/or by name. Each country requires a minimum percentage of the variety in the wine in order for it to be listed on the label. 75% USA and Chile, 80% Argentina, 85% Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia.
