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Making Grape Wine
Making grape wine has been practiced
for thousands of years with evidence of grapes
found in jars from China dating back to 7000
BC.
But whether discussing the ancient art or
more modern wine making techniques, a number of
conditions and the process making grape wine
remain the same.
The practice of growing grapes for
winemaking, or viticulture, is considered to be
one of the most complicated forms of
agricultural. A master vintner must be an
expert in a diverse number of areas including
the chemistry of soil, the process of
fermentation, as well as understanding the
effects of weather and climate on the making of
grape wine. In the process of making grape wine
, it is the focus of the grower to keep the
leaf growth minimal, which will allow more sun
to reach the grapes. He must also be on the
lookout for insects and disease.
When
Fertile Soil Isn’t a Good
Thing
While most other crops require a fertile
soil, this is not the case with grapes that
will actually produce a more desirable crop
with thinner and somewhat rocky soil. The end
results are fewer grapes but a fruit of higher
quality and one that is perfect in the
process of making grape wine.
The varieties of grapes that are planted in an
area depend upon what is called the terroir.
This is a French term which literally means
terrain, but is used in the wine industry to
mean the way the wine expresses the qualities
of a region, from climate and soil to its very
traditions.
Many areas in the United States are involved
in making grape wine, along with a number of
other countries including Chile and France but
the major wine producer in the U.S. is
California which produces between 80 and 90
percent of the wines made in this country.
Name
That Grape
Generally, the type of grape used
to make a specific wine will give that wine its
name, such as Chardonnay or Zinfandel which are
both varieties of grapes as well as the wines
made from them. Some wines are the product of
the blending of grape varieties and this
technique is used to produce unique
flavors.
Once the grapes are grown and the wine is
made, it then comes down to the business of
selling the product and the process of making
grape wine is a very big industry. While France
is the biggest exporter of wine with Italy
running a close second, the U.S. makes an
impressive showing with recent sales figures of
over $20 billion.
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