WINE
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| Red Wine |
Wine may also be made from various fruits and plant
parts. Though known by the ancients, wine was not drunk in its matured form
until the development of the bottle and cork in the late 17th century. In wine
manufacture, grapes are crushed and strained, and the juice (called must) is
sealed in vats along with yeast (Saccharomyees ellipsoideus) and often sulfur
dioxide, which suppresses wild yeasts and organisms. Fermentation continues for
several weeks, and then the wine is drawn off (“racked”) into wooden barrels or
other containers for a second fermentation (“aging”). It is clarified and
bottled before undergoing final maturation. Wines may be classified according
to colour as red, rosé (pink), or white; colour depends on whether the skins of
red grapes are allowed to ferment with the juice. Wine taste is described as
sweet or dry, sweet wines being high in sugar content and dry wines containing
little or no sugar. Sparkling wines, such as champagne, contain suspended
carbon dioxide, the result of bottling the wine before fermentation is
complete. Fortified wines, such as port and sherry, contain added brandy. The
leading wine-producing countries are France, Italy, Spain, the U.S., Argentina,
Germany, Australia, South Africa, Portugal, and Romania
