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Wine is an alcoholic beverage typically made by fermentation of grapes. The word comes from Greek οινος through Latin vinum, (both "wine" and the " vine"). It is unclear whether the Hebrew "Yayin" is directly related to the modern word. Wine can also be made from other fruits or from flowers or many other ingredients. In this sense the word wine is used with a qualifier, for example, elderberry wine. The word wine by itself always means grape wine. This terminology is often defined by law.
The remainder of this article discusses grape wine. For non-grape wines, see country wine or Chinese wine.
Wine is of particular interest for several reasons: its use in religious ceremonies in many cultures, the historical importance of the wine trade from very early times. Most important perhaps as an agricultural product it reflects more than any other the variety of the land, climate and conditions it is grown under, making wines very much more variable than any other product. In addition, as wine can improve with age, sometimes for 20 years or more, even more variation is possible. Many modern factory wine s try to hide this variation, producing consistent wines from year to year by blending, additives and so on, to create wine brand s that are more consistent for the mass market consumer.
Wine is usually made from one or more varieties of the European grape species Vitis viniferaVitis vinifera For thousands of years, the fruit and plant of Vitis vinifera the European wine grape have been harvested for both medicinal and nutritional value; its history is intimately entwined with the history of wine. Use of grapes goes back at leas. These varieties, such as Pinot NoirPinot Noir is a red wine grape variety, considered to make some of the greatest wines. It reaches its peak in Burgundy wine, but is also used in the production of Champagne and is planted in most of the world's wine growing regions for use in both still a, ChardonnayChardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make a white varietal wine. It is believed to be named after the village of Chardonnay in the Maconnais region of France, and it is possible that the variety was first bred there. DNA fingerprinting rese, and ZinfandelZinfandel (Zin) is a red-skinned wine grape popular in California for its intense fruitiness and lush texture. Vintners use Zinfandel grapes to produce a wide range of wine styles including sweet White Zinfandels, light bodied reds reminiscent of Beaujola, when used as the primary ingredient give varietalVarietal describes wines made from a single named grape variety. As vintners and consumers have become aware of the characteristics of individual varieties of wine grapes, wines have also come to be identified by varietal names. Varietal wines are made pr wines as opposed to blended wines.
Wine can also be made from Vitis labrusca, and hybrids of the two species. Vitis labrusca, Vitis aestivalis, Vitis rupestris, Vitis rotundifolia and Vitis riparia are native North AmericaNorth America is the third largest continent in area and the fourth ranked in population. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific Ocean grapes usually used for eating or grape juice but sometimes for wine, like ConcordConcord grapes are a grape variety used as both table grapes and wine grapes. Concord grapes are a variety of the North American Vitis labrusca species. They are a slip-skin variety meaning that the skin is easily separated from the fruit. Concord grapes wine. Hybrids of vinifera with other species were originally developed to combine American hardiness and resistance to phylloxeraGrape Phylloxera Daktulosphaira vitifoliae family Phylloxeridae superfamily Aphidoidea) is a serious pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. These tiny sap-sucking insects related to aphids attack the roots of with European flavor. Although only rarely used in traditional wine regions, hybrids are planted in substantial numbers in cool-climate viticultural areas.
European grapes, sensitive to phylloxera insectsGrape Phylloxera Daktulosphaira vitifoliae family Phylloxeridae superfamily Aphidoidea) is a serious pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. These tiny sap-sucking insects related to aphids attack the roots of, are often grafted onto American root plants as a preventive measure.
See also: List of grape varieties