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Wine making has been practiced in one way or another for many thousands of years with pottery jars found in Persia (modern day Iran) dating back to 5,500 BC showing evidence of grapes use in winemaking. In addition, jars from Jiahu in China dated to somewhere between 6000 and 7000 BC have also been discovered containing wine from wild grapes.

However whether we are considering ancient or modern wine making, a number of the same conditions apply and not dissimilar techniques are used because the chemistry of the humble grape is an eternal quality.

With a few exceptions the grapes used for making wine grow only only between latitudes 30-50 degrees North and 30-45 degrees South of the equator. Unlike many other crops, grapes do not need an especially fertile soil and it should be noted that a thinner soil usually produces a small crop but also usually produces grapes of a higher quality.

Oddly enough, soils which are rich in nitrogen and other nutrients (conditions which are generally highly beneficial for the majority of plants) can produce grapes which are not suitable for winemaking. These grapes are however often fine for eating, but lack the desired amounts of minerals, acids and sugars for winemaking.

Undoubtedly, the best wines are produced on soils which would be thought of as poor quality for other agricultural purposes. For example, the stellar wines from Bordeaux are made from grapes grown in gravelly soil, which overlies a base of clay or chalk. The crop here is small, but the quality of the grapes is high. In this case the pebbly earth permits good drainage, which is essential as grapevines require adequate but not excessive water, but the conditions force the roots to grow deep into the earth where they absorb a range of complex minerals.

Vineyards are also most often found along river valleys, with slopes that provide abundant sunshine. Vines in these cases are frequently of the European species vitis vinifera, from which many well known wines are made, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot.

Viticulture, the name applied to the practice of growing grapes for wine, is one of the most complex agricultural undertakings today. A master vintner (today, sometimes called an oenologist), has got to be an expert in a wide range of topics including soil chemistry, fermentation, climatology and several other ancient arts and modern sciences.

In addition to categorization by variety, wines are also classified by vinification methods (still, sparkling, ros?, fortified, blush), by region (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Alsace etc.), by vintage as well as by a dozen other methods.

Once the farmer, chemist and manufacturer have finished their work, the businessman then takes over and wine today is certainly very big business. Wine sales in the United States alone run to over 600 million gallons, representing in excess of $20 billion in consumer spending. Perhaps not surprisingly France is top of the pack when it comes to exports with 22% of world export volume, with Italy following close behind.

When all is said and done however, no matter how big a business wine producing is today, it is still very much a balance of art, science and business and winemaking is most certainly not a venture to be entered into by anybody of a timid disposition.

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In northeastern France, the Alsace region is an area of land roughly 50 km wide and 190 km long which runs along the border between France and Germany and which has produced wine since the Romans first invaded the region in about 12 B.C. The main city of the region is Strasburg (home to the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights) which is situated on the banks of the Rhine and is often mistakenly believed by many people to be a German city.

About 6,000 wine growers live in this the smallest of the French winemaking regions and the people of Alsace are rightly proud of and boast about their centuries old winemaking tradition.

Alsace lies between to Vosges mountains to its west and the Black Forest to its east and is therefore sheltered from both easterly and westerly winds. This means that the area gets very hot in the summer and is also very cold in the winter. The soil of the region is very varied and includes clay, sand, granite and marl. This, combined with the climate, means that this is not the easiest of regions in which to grow grapes. Nonetheless, Alsace produces some of the finest Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Gew?rztraminer grapes.

Alsace produces about 20% of France’s wine (about 165 million bottles) and most of the region’s grapes go into making a number of world famous white wines whose names display their German influence. The best known of these are Riesling and Gew?rztraminer, which account for about 23% and 18% respectively of Alsace wines, but other wines include Sylvaner and Tokay.

Sylvaner, which was first produced in Austria, has been made in Alsace for the past two centuries and is a dry and fruity white wine which is frequently served with both fish and pork.

Tokay is a full-bodied white wine fermented from the Pinot Gris grape and has a wonderful aroma of wood and spice. It makes a perfect when served alongside Quiche Lorraine. As a full-bodied wine, Tokay also makes an excellent choice as an accompaniment to meat for those people who prefer white rather than red wine.

One other very good wine from this region is the Cr?mant d’Alsace, a sparkling white wine which is very much like Champagne. Cr?mant d’Alsace is a blended from Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris or Pinot Noir grapes and its aroma is reminiscent of red fruits, almonds and apricots.

If you are purchasing a wine from Alsace, either for your own consumption or as a wine gift, look out for the words ‘Grand Crus’ on the label which signifies that a wine is amongst the best this region has to offer.

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When it comes to buying wine for many people it is a simple case of choice between red and white, or whatever is on “special offer”. The world of wine is complex but when it comes to selection something to drink yourself, or something to buy as a wine gift for a friend, then the choice goes a lot further than simply red or white.

The secret lie in arming yourself with the right information and, when it comes to wine, a little bit of knowledge goes a long way.

The first bit of information to arm yourself with is a basic understanding of the different types of wine available and here wines can be divided into five main groups.

Red Wine.

Red wine is made from what most people would call red grapes, although in fact they are more correctly called black grapes. Red wine is fermented using the complete grape, including the skin and pips, and it is the skin that gives the wine its red color.

There are various black grapes which can be used in making wine and each has its own distinctive flavor which it derives mainly from the climate and soil in the region where the grapes are grown. When these are combined with the winemaker?€?s art of mixing, they allow us to enjoy red wines ranging from the dark blackcurrant color of the full-bodied and strongly flavored wines produced from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape to the lighter raspberry and cherry taste produced by the Pinot Noir grape.

Ros? wine.

Ros? wines are also made using black grapes but the juice is separated out during fermentation at the point at which it contains sufficient color to give the finished wine the pink color which the winemaker is looking for.

The flavor of the finished wine depends on the grape used to make the wine and some of the best ros? wines are fermented using the Grenache grape. Although normally considered to be a French grape, Grenache noir is the world?€?s most widely planted grape and almost certainly originates from Spain. As well as often being used to make ros? wines, the Grenache noir grape is also frequently used as a base for a number of blended wines including such well known names as Cotes du Rh?ne and Chateauneuf du Pape.

Blush wine.

California?€?s version of ros? wine is often referred to as blush wine and it is made in much the same way as ros? wine. The grape most often used however is the Zinfandal grape which produces a somewhat sweet pink wine which also shows a slightly blue color. The Zinfandal grape comes originally from Croatia but has been widely grown in the United States for over 150 years now and is considered as indigenous to California.

White wine.

Surprisingly enough white wine can be made from both white and black grapes. The juice from both grapes is actually colorless and it is only the skin of the black grape which gives red wine its color.

There is a variety of flavors available when it comes to white wines, depending upon the grape used, the winemaker?€?s skill and the extent to which different juices are blended to make the finished wine.

Dry white wines are frequently made from Muscadet or Sauvignon Blanc grapes while the richer fruit-flavored wines are more commonly based upon the Chardonnay grape.

Sparkling wines.

Sparkling wines are based upon a dry white wine. The best known example of a sparkling wine is Champagne, which was reputedly invented by a Benedictine monk names Dom Perignon, who was born in the Champagne region of France in 1640. Here a solution of sugar and yeast is added to the wine at the time of bottling. The sugar and yeast solution produce a secondary fermentation in the bottle and sealing the bottles traps the gas produced by this fermentation within the wine to give it its sparkle when the bottle is opened.

Well, that’s not exactly the A to Z of wine but is certainly a step up from simply selecting red or white the next time you go out to buy yourself a bottle of wine or to pick up that wine gift for a special friend.

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Clearly the selection of a specific brand, type and year of wine is a question of personal taste. But, leaving on one side the question of price, there are a variety of general guidelines on which there is agreement amongst wine drinkers.

Fortunatey the growth of vineyards throughout the world and of websites featuring wine means that accessing wine is fairly easy today. If you live in Mississippi or Brussels you can buy a New Zealand Syrah not carried by a local wine merchant as simply as anyone in Tauranga.

Putting on one side the subject of pairing particular types of wine with particular foods, do you want a white wine or a red wine? Some people feel that Madeira is far too heavy while other people believe that a German Riesling is much too dry. A lot of readily available wines are meant to be consumed shortly after purchase, but those of us who wish to taste the best wine will have to be patient. Cabernet Sauvignon would unquestionably be far better after it has matured.

A cool climate Chardonnay, like those from Canada, will appeal to those people who like a young acid wine and also to wine drinkers who wish to experience it’s honeyed and nutty character which comes from age.

Viewing wines by class may also prove useful. Class 1 wines, usually labeled as ‘Red Table Wine’ or ‘Light Wine’ will have an alcohol content between 7% and 14% by volume. Class 7 wines, by contrast, will have an alcohol content of not lower than 15% by volume. These wines have usually had Brandy added to then and could be flavored using herbs with those with the greatest concentration being considered as ‘fortified’.

Read the label for a declaration of the quantity of sulfites in a wine. Sulphur is often added during the winemaking process to prevent the growth of unwanted organisms, but some winemakers add more sulpur than many wine drinkers like. Sulphur dioxide is also sometimes sprayed onto the grapes themselves to reduce pests and can seep into the skin. A few wine drinkers are sensitive to sulfites and could experience an allergic reaction. Concentrations which are lower than 10 parts per million are normally fine for most people.

Whenever you are sampling a wine you should begin by cooling it to the proper temperature of around 11C (52F) for whites and 18C (65F) for red wine and use a thin rimmed glass which is free of dust.

Pour out no more than around one third of a glass and pick up your glass by the stem so that you don’t get fingerprints on the rim and warm the bowl.

What you are looking for is a clear color when a wine is viewed against a white background with a wine such as a Pinot Noir having a light ruby color and a Cabernet Sauvignon being a darker violet color. Wines which are fermented from grapes grown in a hot summer and dry fall will be darker in color than those wines made during cool summers and rainy falls.

The final step is to spin the wine gently around so that it coats the bowl of the glass and let your nose sample its aroma before tasting it.

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