Winemaking is one of the oldest alcoholic traditions around today. Wine has its roots deeply intertwined with European history, circa 6000 BC. The first wine's debut date is unknown, but we have actual evidence dating it back to 4500 BC in Greece. Wine was an essential part of Greek culture, it was a way of life.
Textbook definition states that wine is created by fermenting fruit juice, and manipulating the process with different types of sugars, yeasts, acids, enzymes and other nutrients. So in a nutshell, wine is produced from rotting food, at a controllable rate. When yeast consumes the sugars found naturally inside the grapes, the end result is alcohol. Some varieties of grapes or fruit have a higher sugar content, and end up with a sweeter wine, Like Strawberry Wine.
Grapes are not the only type of fruit that is used for winemaking. Berries, apples, and peaches can also be used, yielding sweeter results, but with the same alcoholic purpose. Blackberry wine in particular is one of the sweetest.Other food items like rice, ginger and barley are also commonly used to make wine.
There is no shortage of variety when it comes to using grapes for wine. From the Vitis Vinifera found in Europe to the Vitis aestivalis or Vitis rotundifolia found in North America, some of these grapes are even used for jellies, jams or just plain old grape juice. Some more common names would be Chardonel Wine, Catawba, Concord, Norton and Vignoles. Another important fact to know about wine when choosing a brand, is the difference between a blended wine and a varietal. Varietals have at least 75% of a single species of grape in the mixture, while blended wines could be a mix of any grapes or vintage. Don't lead this to believe blended wines are cheap, some of the most expensive wines in the world from Bordeaux or Rhone Valley are blended grapes of the same vintage.
Tags: blackberry wine, chardonel wine, history of wine, how wine is made, strawberry wine