Good wine is an elixir that people have revered since ancient times. Making good wine is not an easy task, because it means choosing and correctly applying all the elements in the process of its production - starting from choosing the grape variety suitable for the type of wine to be obtained, through its processing and fermentation, to aging and serving.
Wine is divided according to different principles, but the most general categories are white and red wines. In order for a white or red wine to become good, the first step is to choose the right grapes for it.
There are about 10 thousand wine grape varieties in the world and from these, only 13 are the main ones. Most are rooted in different countries, but there are also local varieties that are characteristic of a particular country and even only for one region. These varieties usually provide the raw material for a certain world-famous wine.
Grapes for white wines
White wine is made from white or pink (red) grapes with colorless juice. Suitable for white wine are varieties with a sugar content of 15-20% and the acids should be 6-7 g per liter. Suitable for making white wine are:
- the French variety Chardonnay;
- the German variety Riesling.
Grapes for red wines
Red wine is made from red grape varieties with colorless or colored juice. Good grapes for red wine should be well-ripened, with a sugar content of over 19-20% and well-colored.
There are also top grape varieties for red wines. The world-famous French red wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy are produced from:
- the Italian Nebbiolo;
- the Argentine Malbec;
- the Australian Shiraz;
- South African Pinotage.
However, in order to produce good white or red wine, these elite grape varieties must be processed properly, aged in a strictly defined way and even consumed so as to reveal the entire palette of flavors and aromas of the wine.
Winemaking is undoubtedly a science and an art at the same time and if mastered well, it has stunning results.
Comments