A Basic Wine Education

Author: Joey Pebble

Wine is an ancient alcoholic beverage which has been consumed by humans for as much as the last 8000 years. It is most often made from various types of fermented grape juice, although you can make wine by fermenting other foods such as fruits, barley, ginger, and rice. These wines are distinguished from the grape beverage by their names which are derived from the substance used; for example barley wine, or strawberry wine.

Grapes earn the distinction of becoming "just wine" due to the fact that their chemical balance naturally allows them to ferment without the addition of acids, sugars, or enzymes.

Non grape wines earn the "wine" label due more to the fact that they have a higher alcohol content than beer, rather than due to the manufacturing process which is used to produce them.

Wine is made when crushed grapes are fermented using yeast. The yeast eats the sugar in the grapes and converts it into alcohol. The type of yeast used, as well as the type of grape fermented, will depend on the style and brand of wine that is being manufactured. Various ingredients can result in strikingly different wine tastes.

Etymologically the word wine is derived from a number of proto-european sources including the proto-germnanic word "winam" and the proto-indo European word "win-o". The direct root for the word, the Latin "vinum" is probably a derivation of one of these older words, although there are sources which cite similar labels for the beverage across the Eurasian landscape.

Wine is thought to have originated around roughly 6000 BC near modern day Georgia and Iran. It is estimated that it reached the European mainland somewhere around Greece by the year 4500 BC. At that point it became very important in ancient Greek and classical cultures, and began to spread throughout the world.

About the Author:

This article was written by style philosopher Joey Pebble. If you are looking for an attractive, elegant, and affordable way to show off your distinct tastes, then consider a set of natural stone beverage coasters. They are elegant, refined, and sophisticated, as well as being functionally absorbent to protect your prized possessions.

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