Wine is made with a lot of components, mostly acids and vitamins. The process can be divided into 12 steps, starting from picking of grapes to bottling. After picking the right grapes, they are passed through press to extract their juice. White grapes are also cold-settled after pressing to remove any grape skin particles. After this the fermentation begins which involves the transformation of grape juice to wine. Yeast is added to bring about the process of fermentation and it can continue to an indefinite period depending upon the kind of grapes and other ingredients being added. After fermentation, stabilization and filtering completes the procedure.
Wines are categorized into two broad categories: red wines and white wines. Red wine is made from grapes that have a red skin and white wine is made with grapes that have a pale yellow or pale green skin. It has been established that red wine is healthier of the two. However, white wine is a more popular food ingredient. Some popular red wine varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Norton, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel. Some popular white wine varieties are Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, and Viognier. Let’s find out more about these kinds of wines.
Cabernet Sauvignon is used to make consistent, full-of-flavor wine. It is mostly found in France and Italy. There are producers of this kind of wine in the United States as well as it’s one of the most popular varieties of red wine. It comes in flavors of cherry, black cherry, raspberry and blackcurrant. Merlot is another variety of red wine very much similar in taste with Cabernet Sauvignon, except that it is a little smoother and sweeter. Merlot grapes have a thin skin and they mostly grow in cool climates. This kind of wine is mostly found in France. Another difference between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is that Merlot matures earlier in the season.
Pinot Noir tastes like cherries and raspberries and wine made from it is very rich and consistent. It needs warm climates to grow and is mostly found in France. It is a medium-colored variety and very much popular among wine lovers. Zinfandel wine is light pink in color and the grapes are easy to crush and fermented. It is mostly found in the United States. Although the original color of this kind of grape is a rich red, but wine growers blend it readily to produce a rose-like tint, known as white Zinfandel.
Chardonnay is one of the most popular white wines available. It is the easiest to make among all white wines and gives a rich taste to any meal to which it is added. It is found in all parts of the world where wine is loved and made with extreme fervor. Chardonnay is used to make Champagne and Chablis. Chenin Blanc is found in the United States and is the cheapest of all wines. Sauvignon Blanc is a strong wine with more acidic taste than any other white wine.
Riesling grows mostly in Germany and it comes in both sweet and dry varieties. Its alcoholic content is very less and the taste is fruitier. This kind of wine is perfect to be used as a compliment in any meal. Muscat family is composed of many varieties of wine and all of them have a floral taste. White wines are generally sweet. This kind of wine is mostly found in Italy and Spain. Viognier is a specialty of France. This is also a family of wines, all of them having a sweet, fruity taste. Most of them have honey aromas and yellow or straw colors. This kind of wine is also popular in Australia.
