Wine is an
alcoholic beverage made from the
fermentation of unmodified grape
juice. The natural chemical balance
of grapes is such that they ferment
without the addition of sugars,
acids, enzymes or other nutrients.
Although other fruits like apples
and berries can also be fermented,
the resultant "wines" are normally
named after the fruit (for example,
apple wine or elderberry wine) and
are generically known as fruit or
country wine. Others, such as barley
wine and rice wine (e.g. sake) are
made from starch-based materials
and resemble beer more than wine,
while ginger wine is fortified with
brandy. In these cases, the use
of the term "wine" is a reference
to the higher alcohol content, rather
than production process. The commercial
use of the English word "wine" (and
its equivalent in other languages)
is protected by law in many jurisdictions.
II. History
The earliest evidence suggesting
wine production comes from archaeological
sites in Georgia and Iran, dating
from 6000 to 5000 BC. The archaeological
evidence becomes clearer, and points
to domestication of grapevine, in
Early Bronze Age sites of the Near
East, Sumer and Egypt from around
the third millennium BC.
III. Grape
varieties
Wine is usually made from one or
more varieties of the European species,
Vitis vinifera. When one of these
varieties, such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay,
or Merlot, for example, is used
as the predominant grape (usually
defined by law as a minimum of 75
or 85%) the result is a varietal,
as opposed to a blended wine. Blended
wines are in no way inferior to
varietal wines; some of the world's
most valued and expensive wines
from the Bordeaux, Rioja or Tuscany
regions, are a blend of several
grape varieties of the same vintage.
Wine can
also be made from other species
or from hybrids, created by the
genetic crossing of two species.
Vitis labrusca, Vitis aestivalis,
Vitis rupestris, Vitis rotundifolia
and Vitis riparia are native North
American grapes, usually grown for
eating in fruit form or made into
grape juice, jam, or jelly, but
sometimes made into wine, eg. Concord
wine
Beer is the world's oldest and most
popular alcoholic beverage. It is
produced by the fermentation of
sugars derived from starch-based
material—the most common being malted
barley; however wheat, corn, and
rice are also widely used, usually
in conjunction with the barley.
Less widely used starch sources
include millet, sorghum and cassava
root in Africa, potato in Brazil,
and agave in Mexico, among others.
I. Brewing
Beer is made by brewing. The essential
stages of brewing are mashing, sparging,
boiling, fermentation, and packaging.
Most of these stages can be accomplished
in several different ways, but the
purpose of each stage is the same
regardless of the method used to
achieve it.
II. Ingredients
The basic ingredients of beer are
water; a fermentable starch source,
such as malted barley; and yeast.
It is common for a flavouring to
be added, the most popular being
hops. A mixture of starch sources
may be used, with the secondary
starch source, such as corn, rice
and sugar, often being termed an
adjunct, especially when used as
a lower cost substitute for malted
barley.