A little about wine, the What, Where and When.
A little about wine, the What, Where and When.
What is wine?
Wine is the result of the fermentation of the juice of fruits, mainly grapes. Grapes are the natural choice. They are able to ferment completely without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients. Not that mankind hasn’t put his fingers in there to make this process produce 
a much better tasting liquid.
Where is Wine Produced?
Wine grapes will be found growing between thirty and fifty degrees north or south of the equator and the world’s most southerly region is located in the South Island of New Zealand.
The most popular wine producing countries are France, Italy, Spain, United States, Argentina, China, Australia, South Africa, Germany, and Chile.
When Names Changed!
When France was the main wine producing country in the world the names of the various wines were taken from the region in which they were produced. Since the number of wine producing countries and regions has increased over the years, France has insisted that the wines produced in those countries be named something to distinguish them from their own. Champagne, Burgandy etc can only refer to wines produced or the grapes grown in those regions. So the wines have taken on the names of the grapes that they are produced from.
Gets a little confusing but we are all getting used to it. Some of the most popular types of red grapes are: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Grenache, Malbec, Merlot, Mourvedre, Nebbiolo, Norton, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Pinotage, Syrah, Tempranillo, Teroldego, and Zinfandel. Some of the most popular types of white grapes are: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Gruner Veltliner, Marsame, Melon de Bourgogne, Muscat, Palomino, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Ugni Blanc, and Verdicchio.
No matter what the wine is called, we can all enjoy what is in the bottle, be it from France, the US, Australia or our own vintage as home wine makers and you never know, one day one of us may just produce a winning vintage. We can all dream!
