Let’s take a little look into the World of Wine…

What is wine?

How did it get discovered?

How did it develop into what it is nowadays?

It has to be said that right now, in the whole world, region to region, wine is at the best quality it has ever been! Winemaking techniques, vineyard management techniques, preservation and bottling methods, and more have never been better. We are traveling more, sharing more information, and developing technological advances every week. So, to better understand what goes into making a bottle of wine for us to enjoy, let’s look at what wine is…

Well, the concept of using Grapes as a base fruit to produce an alcoholic beverage is a really old one. Probably discovered at the same time as the wheel and how to produce fire. Although Wine was made from other base material – like rice for example, Grape Wine was probably developed in Ancient India, Greece, and Roman times (around 400 BC) It was probably discovered by leaving stored fruits for too long and noticing that if consumed, it would bring intoxication. Intoxication in older times was a way of being ‘closer to God’ – hence the links to Religious Ceremonies in different cultures. We still see this at Church, when we take the Blood of Christ at the Altar, for example.

So what is alcohol?

Well, It is a chemical called Ethanol. This is created as a by-product of fermentation. Fermentation is when Yeast reacts with Sugar. When this happens it leaves behind Carbon Dioxide and Ethanol.

Try thinking of it as Yeast eating the Sugar and leaving CO2 and Ethanol behind. Some winemakers use the CO2 and let it merge with the wine inside the bottle – this is one of the major keys to how Champagne is produced.

We often choose the wine based on the grape but most of us are used to only very few grapes. In fact, most wine in the world is probably mainly produced from under 50 grapes. So, now let’s look at grapes in general.

There are over 10,000 types of Grapes. But, only around 1,350 of these are suitable for quality wine production. The key is natural amounts of acids and sugars as well as other factors…

It can seem daunting and this is why everyone needs a go-to wine shop!

Over the last 500 years and especially over the last 100 years, certain styles or types of wine have come to the forefront for wine lovers. Sometimes this is based on chance, circumstance, the modern style, or most of the time, just plain marketing.

Come to the shop or send us an email if you are looking for something new or if we can find what you love at a competitive price!

Let us know if you would like to sign up for our upcoming exclusive wine club – watch this space!