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Truly the Drink of Gods: Wine

Owner
Brandon
Wine is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting the juice that is extracted from grapes. Archaeological studies have revealed that the origin of wines date back to around 6000 BC. It is believed to have originated in areas now identified as Iran and Georgia. The affinity towards wine drinking and it's popularity as a beverage (alcoholic) in gatherings ranging from luncheons to royal weddings was witnessed mostly in the European nations, like Bulgaria, Greece, Thrace and Rome since 4500 BC. This is probably due to the fact that the first three largest grape producing countries in the world namely France, Italy and Spain all fall within the European continent. Wines across the world and through the ages have symbolized piousness and were represented by ancient Greek and Roman Gods. Till date, the drink is a part of religious Christian and Jewish ceremonies.

The unique quality about wine is that it makes a perfect accompaniment with food like no other drink does. The most fascinating thing about wine is that the entire act of producing, manufacturing, packaging, buying, tasting and selecting the right wine for the right occasion and for the right kind of food the wine is supposed to be consumed with is a work of pure art. This entire procedure requires immense knowledge about the drink and needs pure craftsmanship to be thoroughly enjoyed. Although other natural commodities such as apples, berries, rice, ginger and barley can also be fermented to produce wine out of them, they don't come close to the richness that is offered by grape wines.

Wine is usually made from one or more kinds of the European grape species - Vitis vinifera, such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, or Merlot. When one of these varieties is used as the main grape, the resultant wine is known as a 'varietal'. Blended wine, as the name suggests, is another kind of wine produced, which does not contain any particular variety of grape predominantly. However, these wines are not considered inferior to varietal wines and some of the world's most treasured and expensive wines, from regions like Bordeaux and the Rhone Valley, are blended from different grape varieties of the same vintage. A "vintage wine" is one that is made from grapes that are all or mostly bred in a single specified year and are labeled as such. Although, recent trends reveal that normal wine-lovers are more concerned about the quality and taste of the wine and not so much about it being vintage. Wine tasting is one of the most important ways to determine the richness and flavor of the wine. However, this is an art that can be mastered by only those who are well versed in their knowledge about wine and know exactly what to look for in the wine that they taste. Wine tasting is the sensory examination of wine. Wines may be classified by their impact on the drinker's palate. The sweetness of wine is determined by the amount of sugar left in the wine after it has been fermented. Dry wine, for instance, has only a small amount of residual sugar.

There are numerous varieties of grapes produced all around the world and their quality and taste is strongly determined by the climate in which they are grown. As a result of this variety, the kind of wines produced is also of many kinds. Types of wines produced from grapes can predominantly be classified into the following: red wines, white wines, sweet dessert wines, dry wines and more. Wines are usually expensive as producing exquisite wines requires tremendous amount of craftsmanship and labor. Wine collecting is a hobby of the rich and famous as this hobby involves spending huge amounts of money (thousands of dollars) for a single bottle of an outstanding vintage.

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