Wine

AbstractWithout qualifying terms, both legally and commonly, the word wine designates grape (particularlyVitis vinifera) juice fermented into an alcoholic beverage. There are many reasons to believe that grape‐growing and winemaking were among the causes and not just an effect of the development of nonnomadic agriculture and therefore of civilization in the Near East. By ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman times wine production was well known and it was associated with religion, the arts, and good living, an association maintained since then. Study of wines and their fermentation have been instrumental in the initial development of microbiology, biochemistry, stereochemistry, statistical sensory analysis, etc.Wine production is large and economically important, involving more than 8 × 106hectares of vineyard producing annually about 60 × 106metric tons of grapes, and about 26 × 109liters of wine (about 5 L for every human). About 24% of the world's wine is produced by Italy, 21% by France, 10% by Spain, and 6% by the United States (90%+ of that in California). Consumption is high in the major producing countries (except the United States); however, there has been excess production of the less‐than‐premium wines, depressing the world market and the economies of the producing countries. Premium wines, however, remain in demand and are an important source of not only trade, but also cultural exchange.There are many classes, subtypes, and styles of wine distinguished by the grapes used, the fermentation procedure, further processing, etc. Examples include white and red table wines, sparkling wines, fortified wines, oxidized types, eg, sherries, and flavored types, eg, vermouths. Gross composition covers the typical range of 7–21% alcohol, 0–20% fermentable sugar, 0–1 g/L anthocyanins, 0 to well over 3.92 g/L of CO2, and 0.1–1 g/L of tannins and other phenols, mainly flavonoids. Specific components are crucial to certain wines, eg, terpenoids for those from muscat varieties. To examine them, detailed chemical analysis by such techniques as gas–liquid and high performance liquid chromatographies are required, but sensory analysis remains very important as well.Every aspect of wine production and marketing is governed by regulation, which may differ among countries, states, and even counties. The U.S. agency of greatest importance is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) of the Treasury Department, which validates good commercial practices and healthfulness, specifies limits, restricts components and treatments, provides for authentication, and levies taxes.