Lesson 2. What is wine? Basic concepts and terms

Wine is an alcoholic drink obtained from the juice of grapes (or other fruits) by converting (fermenting) the sugar in it into alcohol. The fermentation process occurs under the influence of wine yeast and is called fermentation. During the fermentation process, in addition to ethyl alcohol, carbon dioxide and heat are released.

The fermentation process must occur without access to air, but with the possibility of removing the released carbon dioxide. For this purpose, a so-called “water seal” (or water seal) is used - an outlet tube lowered into a vessel with water.

Otherwise, if there is access to air, instead of wine, we will most likely get fruit vinegar, and if the removal of carbon dioxide is not ensured, the cork will be knocked out or the bottle will rupture.

The entire process of turning juice into wine is called Vinification.

At the same time, crushed and crushed fruits prepared according to technology are called Pulp, and the resulting juice (or a mixture of juice with water and sugar) is called Wort.

The science of wine (“the study of making wine”) is called Oenology.

A specialist in the preparation of wine, respectively – an oenologist.

A specialist in the selection, proper use, serving and storage of wine is called a Sommelier (a person responsible for serving drinks in a restaurant, giving advice on choosing wines and drinks, serving them and monitoring their serving to the client until the moment when he leaves the hall»).

Wine can be either natural or fruit-based

Natural wine is wine obtained by fermenting grape juice without adding sugar, water or alcohol. Only sweet, ripened grapes have the composition and properties necessary for making natural wine.

Natural wine cannot be stronger than 12-13% vol. (volume fraction of alcohol in %). It is at this strength that natural (wild) wine yeast stops its activity, dies and precipitates.

For reference:

1% of sugar in the wort during fermentation turns into ~ 0.6% ethyl alcohol. Thus, to obtain natural wine with a strength of 12% vol. – the presence of sugar in grape juice must be at least 20%.

Fruit and berry wine is a wine made by fermenting the juice of any fruit or berries with the addition of sugar and water.

Sugar is added to juice due to its low content in the juices of fruits and berries (less than 20%), and water is added due to their high acid content (more than 0.7%).

IMPORTANT: The presence of excess acid content in any wine (more than 0.7%) leads to unpleasant consequences after its consumption - heartburn. The acid content in wine can only be reduced at the stage of its preparation - by adding water to the wort. Using sugar, you can make sour wine taste sweet, but the heartburn will remain.

The presence of acid in wine below 0.7% negatively affects the taste of the wine. It becomes fresh and watery. In addition, this wine is not resistant to diseases.

For reference:

The sugar content in grape juice is 15-30%, the presence of acid is 0.5-1.5%.

The sugar content in the juice of fruits and berries is 4-20%, the presence of acid is 0.2-4.8%.

According to the composition and content of wine materials, wines are divided into:

Sepage (Varietal) - which are prepared from one type of fruit.

Assemblage - which are prepared from a mixture of 2 or more varieties.

Blended - which are prepared from a mixture of various wine materials or wines.

In the blend, a Base wine is isolated - which makes up at least half of the blend.

There is also Vintage wine.

The VINTAGE title is assigned to the highest quality wine made from wine materials obtained from the harvest of a certain year, the conditions for winemaking in which were the most favorable.

By the sugar content (remaining after the fermentation process is completed), wines are divided into:

Dry – without noticeable sweetness.

Semi-dry – containing 1-2% sugar.

Semi-sweet – containing 3-5% sugar.

Sweet – containing > 5% sugar.

Liquor – containing > 20% sugar.

There are also fortified wines.

Fortified wine (strength above 16%) is wine to which ethyl alcohol has been added to increase the strength.

Wines are distinguished by color:

White - from light straw to greenish-yellow, amber or flesh-colored; sometimes the color of weak tea.

Pink - from pale pink to light ruby in color with a crimson or yellowish-flesh tint.

Reds - from ruby red to dark garnet color with a violet (in young wines) or brick-red, brownish (in old wines) tint.

Yellow – from dark yellow to the color of strong tea brewing; sometimes with an amber-brown tint.

The quality of wine DEPENDS ON THE TECHNOLOGY OF ITS PREPARATION

One of the most important differences between wine and strong alcoholic drinks is that a strong alcoholic drink is eaten as a snack, and wine is washed down with food.

Therefore, in order not to at least spoil the taste of food, the wine should be pleasant to drink (a kind of seasoning), and this depends on the following parameters:

1. The appearance of the wine is its color, saturation, transparency, thickness (density), absence of turbidity, flakes, sediment.

2. The smell of wine is the absence of the smell of yeast, grass, rot, vinegar or other unpleasant odors and the presence of a pleasant aroma or bouquet of aromas.

3. The taste of wine - the taste of wine, when prepared correctly, as a rule, corresponds to the fruits from which it is prepared, but it is important that the wine does not “shudder”, so that it is pleasant to drink and you want more.

4. No unpleasant consequences such as heartburn, headache, indigestion.

It is desirable that the wine be healthy and for this it is necessary:

1. During the preparation process, wine should not lose the beneficial properties of the fruits from which it is prepared, and for this it is necessary:

• do not allow the use of oxidizable utensils in the cooking technology;
• do not allow food to become too hot;
• do not pasteurize or add preservatives;
• do not add alcohol to wine.

2. In the process of preparing wine, it is advisable to prevent or limit the presence in processed products of: seeds, petioles, bunches and other woody elements, which during fermentation produce (insignificant amounts, but produce) methyl alcohol, which is the cause of headaches after drinking wine.

3. The wine must be “alive” - made from natural products with natural wine yeasts, prepared without the addition of preservatives, alcohol and not pasteurized. This kind of wine is troublesome, as there are certain difficulties in storing it. Even bottled, under certain conditions, it can “ferment” again. Therefore, it is advisable to store “live wine” drained from the sediment, ready for use, in bottles under a “water seal” and bottle it immediately (1-2 days) before use.

And the most important thing in the technology of making wine is you need to make it with desire, not skimp on trifles and put your soul into it.

Before you start making wine, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the properties of the fruits and berries from which we plan to make wine. We will get to know this in the next lesson.