What is wine really?

what is wine?

what makes wine special?

One interesting view is that wine is an expression of time and place. It's the pride of a particular vineyard, and a snapshot of the work of a particular winemaker during a particular year. While there are many trade secrets to making wine, most winemakers agree that the process of growing the grapes is the most important. Prevalent factors include geography (or terroir), the time of picking (sugar content), and the winemaker's taste palate. Surprisingly many vineyards have no defined recipes in place and it remains subjective to the skilled staff on location and their picking decisions.

In the words of some well-known winemakers:

"It truly is what I believe makes great wine. It's not in the winemaking, it's in the vineyard." - Allison Tauziet

"You can make bad wine with great grapes, but you can't make great wine with bad grapes." - Robert Mondavi

"You have to walk up and down every row, observing the grapes and tasting." - Celia Welch

"Getting the most expression, intensity of character and balanced fruit from the vineyards are keys." - Robert Foley

how does wine get its flavor?

Ever notice that wine tastes and smells like many other fruits, with the exception of the grapes themselves? For the most part, it's not because the fruits, such as oranges and apples, have previously been grown in the vineyard, but because the grapes themselves have flavors built-in that remind us of other fruits. During the magical process of fermentation, these flavors are released in many different ways that influence how it tastes and smells.

Other factors that affect flavor are the grape variety, the kind of yeast, and the type of barrel the wine is stored in. For example, oak barrels contribute flavors to the wine such as vanilla, cedar and caramel.

Skilled winemakers blend these factors together, helping add consistency to their taste and aromas year after year.