2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-02 16:12
As they said in ancient Rome, In vino veritas, and it is impossible not to agree with this. After all, despite technological progress and the cultivation of new varieties of grapes, wine remains one of the most honest drinks. People can fake a well-known brand, but you can't fake the taste, smell and color. And how, 1000 years ago, quality wine can loosen the tongue of even the most taciturn person.
Many people will be surprised and say "Wine is wine", but it is worth delving into the question, and it becomes clear how diverse the world of this drink is.
3 facts of influence on history
1. For the first time, wine received the status of a divine gift in Greek mythology, when the Gods of Olympus shared its recipe with people. This drink is still used in many religious ceremonies to this day.
2. Many historians agreed that the beginning of the French Revolutionwas the increase in the tax on wine, which subsequently made the alcoholic drink unaffordable for the middle class.
3. When taxes were raised in France, friendly relations were established between Britain and Portugal. According to the researchers, the British really liked the taste of Portuguese port wine.
And now let's move on to the main question - according to what criteria wines are divided into categories.
General classification
It is impossible to talk about all varieties in one article, so let's talk about the oldest and most popular European country for the production of wine drinks - France. It was here that the four-level classification of wines according to quality categories was recorded.
Table wines (VDT or vin de table). Beverage production can be based on the use of different varieties and vintages of grapes. To ensure a 9% alcohol level, sugar syrup is allowed to be added to the wort. The label of table wines does not indicate the place of production and the year of harvest. Due to their lack of expression and personality, they have not earned the attention of critics and sommeliers, and good restaurants will never include them on the menu.
Vin de pays (VDP), or local, belong to the higher quality category of wines. The production is based on regulated varieties of berries, the drink must have a certain strength and meet certain organoleptic characteristics. The grapes used for this category are grown in a special area. 150 localities have the right to produce drinks of this categoryFrance.
Appellation d'Origine Vin Delimite de Qualite Superieure (AOVDQS or VDQS) - high quality vintage wines. Their production has strict regulations, and control is carried out by special organizations. All drinks belonging to the vintage category of wines meet a number of requirements:
- the production of the drink takes place in the area tied to a certain region;
- only regulated grape varieties are used;
- the method of processing and the maximum yield level of each hectare are determined;
- must meet all the rules of vinification, organoleptic requirements and have an established strength.
Appellation d'origine controlee (AOC) - the highest classification of wines by category, named after their origin and having more stringent requirements than AOVDQS. Here, the age of the vine used, the type of soil and the color of the resulting drink are taken into account. The main role in the production is played by the "appellation", that is, the name, which guarantees the authenticity of the product. It is difficult to remember all the appellations, as their number is constantly growing (more than 400), but French wines are considered the most prestigious AOC wines, each of them has a distinctive feature.
The rest of the European wine-growing cities of Europe, taking the French classification as a basis, have created similar ones. A visual correlation is shown in the table.
| France | Spain | Italy |
| Vin de table | Vino de Mesa | Vino daTavola |
| Vin de pays | Vinos de las Tierras | Indicazione Geografica Tipica |
| AOVDQS | DO (Denominacion de Origen) | Denominazione di Origine Controllata |
| AOC | Denominacion de Origen Calificada | Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita |
Classification by sugar content
Reds are often dry, so white wines are taken as the basis.
1. Sec - dry (less than 4 g/l).
2. Demi-sec - semi-dry (4-12 g/l).
3. Moelleux - semi-sweet (12-45 g/l).
4. Doux - sweet (more than 45 g/l).
For sparkling: estra-brut (less than 4 g/l), brut (up to 15 g/l), extra-sec (12-20 g/l), sec (no more than 35 g/l), demi-sec (32-55 g/l), doux (more than 55 g/l).
CO content2
Vin effervescent is a category of sparkling alcoholic beverages where the secondary breakdown of enzymes occurs in the bottle.
Vin mousseux gazeifie - classification of effervescent wines where CO2 is saturated by carbonation.
Vin petillant - sparkling wines, distinguished from others by low pressure CO2 in the bottle.
Vin perlant - low CO pearls2.
Vin tranquille - quiet wine drinks with almost no CO2.
Classification by technological process
The most difficult type of separation of this drink, as each production has subtleties and differences. Despite this,the experts were able to identify the following categories:
- Young wines, that is, not requiring aging.
- Aged in barrels or bottles up to one year.
- Aged on its own lees. These include some varieties of white wines, using this technology they work in the Loire Valley.
- Liquor wines produced by mutation, that is, adding alcohol or brandy to the unfermented must.
- Boiled wines, in particular, produced in the French Provence. Production is based on prolonged heating and evaporation of the wort. Boiled wine has a specific taste and contains a high level of sugar.
Classification by shade of wine drink
Wine is not always divided by color, sometimes they are classified by chemical composition. For example, did you know that there is a champagne that is made from black grapes but has a white tint?
Red wines contain tannins (tannins) responsible for astringency and color pigments.
Rose wines have not received the attention of critics, although their range of shades is very diverse: from weakly colored to rich.
There is also green wine produced in Portugal, black (cahors) and yellow.
Now let's take a quick look at DO wine.
What does DO mean
Spanish analogue of high quality vintage wines (AOVDQS). More than 164 Spanish growers have received the right to produce products for this category.
The largest area of vineyards for the production of category wines BEFOREpossesses La Mancha - 188,181 ha. Their products have a pronounced woody tint and a velvety taste.
A little about white wine
Categories of white wines are usually divided into 6 varieties:
1. Dry wine of light "body". As sommeliers say, it has a "steel" core. It has a reduced amount of sugar, but a high acid concentration, the percentage of alcohol does not exceed 12% and a slightly perceptible aroma. But experienced experts say that this type of white wine can sometimes have aroma and taste - it all depends on the grape variety used. For example, Sauvignon Blanc has herbal undertones, while Riesling has fruity undertones.
2. Medium body white wine is aged for at least 3 years. It is made from Chardonnay, Rol and Chenin Blanc. The alcohol level is from 10 to 13%, and the taste and aroma are expressed with floral fruity notes.
3. Categories of wines full "body", as a rule, are aged in barrels for several years. They have a fruity aroma, low acidity and a high amount of tannins. Alcohol content from 12 to 14%.
4. Fragrant white wine drinks are distinguished by a pronounced exotic fruity aroma. They are low acid with an alcohol level of 12-14%.
5. Semi-sweet wines are made from Moscatel, Tokay Pinot Gris and Chenin Blanc grape varieties. Alcohol content is 14%, and the drink is served chilled to 100As seen.
6. Sweet white wine drinks contain up to 18% alcohol and are usually served with dessert. Well-known representatives of the alcoholic drink Sauternes and Barsac (France).
A few words about sparkling drink
Sparkling wines are wines that contain carbon dioxide created using a special technology. Their production is divided into 4 methods:
1. Carbonation. In the manufacture of low-quality drinks, artificial introduction of CO2.
2. The method, where the completion of the primary fermentation of alcohol takes place not in a barrel, but in a bottle, is called rural (methode rurale).
3. If the secondary decomposition of organic substances occurs in acratophores (special metal tanks), then the production of wine occurs according to the Sharma method.
4. The classic method is when the re-fermentation process takes place in the bottle.
It is also worth mentioning that there are two special categories of sparkling wines: pearl and sparkling. The former contain the smallest amount of carbon dioxide, while the latter have low pressure in the bottle and a low strength (7%).
What dishes wine is served with
Quality wine, good food and pleasant company - that's the key to warm memories of dinner. The choice of companions is a personal matter for everyone, and everyone should know which dishes go with wine.
You should start with prohibitions, namely with food that is not recommended to be served with an alcoholic drink, so as not to muffle its taste. It is strictly forbidden to serve dishes and snacks seasoned with vinegar with wine.
Nuts are among the taboos. The fact is that,switching to the fruit, the taste buds stop responding to other ingredients and the wine drink.
The last ban concerns smoking. Tobacco smoke will drown out the aroma, and the taste of nicotine will not allow you to fully experience the wine.
Despite the numerous varieties, there is a rule regarding dishes: the more complex the taste on the plate, the simpler the wine drink in the glass, and vice versa.
Red pairs well with spicy meats, fruit, pasta, pizza, fish and a variety of cheeses.
White tastes perfect with seafood, veal, poultry and caviar.
The element of pink wine is cold meats, seafood and desserts.
Semi-sweet and sweet varieties accompany ice cream, fruit and chocolate.
Sparkling drinks, namely champagne - the perfect drink to open a gala dinner.
Conclusion
If earlier this "divine drink" for you was divided into white, red, dry and fortified, then I would like to hope that, armed with the information from this article, you have learned what categories of wines exist, and you can not just read with label name, but also to recognize the variety and method of production.
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