**1. Historical Evolution of Wine:**
– Oldest winery found in the Areni-1 cave in Armenia
– Traces of wine date back to ancient civilizations in Georgia, Iran, Armenia, and Sicily
– Spread of wine culture to Balkans, ancient Greece, Thrace, and Rome
– Evidence of ancient wine production in modern Georgia and Xinjiang, China
– Influence of Phoenicians in spreading wine trade to Egypt
**2. Religious and Cultural Significance of Wine:**
– Use of wine in ancient Egyptian and Greek cultures associated with blood
– Role of wine in religious practices of Greek cult of Dionysus, Romans, Judaism, and Christianity
– Link between Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Israeli wine cultures
– Wine’s role in sacraments and traditions carried to regions like Italy, Spain, France, and the United States
– Establishment of wine cultures in the Southwestern US by Catholic friars
**3. Wine Production and Innovation:**
– Top wine-producing countries: Italy, France, Spain, the United States, and Australia
– Influence of grape varieties, yeast strains, terroir, and production processes on wine styles
– Historical methods like using sulfur candles, olive oil seals, and aged wine in caves
– Modern viticulture influenced by refined sacramental wine traditions
– Innovations like planting vineyards near garrison towns and support from the Roman Catholic Church
**4. Wine Types, Styles, and Varieties:**
– Types of wine: red, white, rosé, orange, sparkling, fortified, ice, dessert
– Production methods and properties of each wine type
– Different grape varieties and skin contact determining color and style
– Explanation of red, white, rosé, and orange wines
– Varietal wines from European species like Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.
**5. Wine Classification, Vintages, and Tasting:**
– European classifications based on region and quality vs. New World classifications by grape
– Regulations on wine production processes and additives in different countries
– Importance of vintages, climate impacts, and flavor variations
– Wine tasting process, including color judging, sensory examination, and sweetness evaluation
– Chemical compounds, flavors, aromas, and aroma release in wine tasting.
Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented fruit. Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruits and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Though wine can be made from a variety of fruit crops such as plum, cherry, pomegranate, blueberry, currant and elderberry, it is most often made from grapes, and the term "wine" generally refers to grape wine when used without a qualifier.
 | |
| Type | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Georgia |
| Alcohol by volume | 5–16% |
| Ingredients | Varies; see Winemaking |
| Variants | |
Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are major factors in different styles of wine. These differences result from the complex interactions between the biochemical development of the grape, the reactions involved in fermentation, the grape's growing environment (terroir), and the wine production process. Many countries enact legal appellations intended to define styles and qualities of wine. These typically restrict the geographical origin and permitted varieties of grapes, as well as other aspects of wine production.
Wine has been produced for thousands of years. The earliest evidence of wine is from the present-day Georgia (6000 BCE), Persia (5000 BCE), Italy and Armenia (4000 BCE). New World wine has some connection to alcoholic beverages made by the indigenous peoples of the Americas, but is mainly connected to later Spanish traditions in New Spain. Later, as Old World wine further developed viticulture techniques, Europe would encompass three of the largest wine-producing regions. Today, based on statistics gathered by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) in 2022 the top five wine producing countries are Italy, France, Spain, the United States and Australia.
Wine has long played an important role in religion. Red wine was associated with blood by the ancient Egyptians and was used by both the Greek cult of Dionysus and the Romans in their Bacchanalia; Judaism also incorporates it in the Kiddush, and Christianity in the Eucharist. Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Israeli wine cultures are still connected to these ancient roots. Similarly the largest wine regions in Italy, Spain, and France have heritages in connection to sacramental wine, likewise, viticulture traditions in the Southwestern United States started within New Spain as Catholic friars and monks first produced wines in New Mexico and California.