Making Wine Is An Ancient Art, A Modern Day Science and A Global Business by Donald Saunders

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Making Wine Is An Ancient Art, A Modern Day Science and A Global Business
by Donald Saunders

Wine producing has been carried out in one way or another for thousands of years with pottery jars found in Persia (modern day Iran) dating as far back as 5,500 BC showing evidence of grapes use in winemaking. Additionally, jars from Jiahu in China dated to somewhere between 6000 and 7000 BC have also been discovered containing wine made from wild grapes.

However whether we are considering ancient or modern wine production, many of the same conditions apply and not dissimilar techniques are used as the chemistry of the grape is an everlasting quality.

With a few exceptions the grapes used for producing wine grow only only between latitudes 30-50 degrees North and 30-45 degrees South of the equator. Unlike many other crops, grapes do not require a particularly fertile soil and it should be noted that a thinner soil usually results in a small crop but also usually produces higher quality grapes.

Strangely enough, soils that are rich in nitrogen and other nutrients (conditions that are generally highly beneficial for the majority of plants) can produce grapes that are not suited to winemaking. These grapes are often very good for eating, but lack the desirable amounts of minerals, acids and sugars for winemaking.

Undoubtedly, the finest wines come from soils which would be considered poor quality for other agricultural purposes. The stellar wines from Bordeaux, for example, are made from grapes grown in gravelly soil, overlying a base of clay or chalk. The crop here is sparse, but the quality of the grapes produced is high. In this instance the pebbly earth permits good drainage, which is essential as grapevines need adequate but not excessive water, but the conditions force the roots to reach deep into the earth where they absorb a variety of complex minerals.

Vineyards are also frequently found along river valleys, with slopes that provide abundant sunshine. Vines in these circumstances are commonly of the European species vitis vinifera, from which various well known wines are made, like Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.

Viticulture, the name applied to the practice of growing grapes for wine, is one of the most complicated agricultural undertakings today. A master vintner (today, sometimes called an oenologist), has got to be an expert in a wide range of subjects including soil chemistry, fermentation, climatology and various other ancient arts and modern sciences.

As well as categorization by variety, wines are also classified by vinification methods (sparkling, still, fortified, ros�, blush), by region (Alsace, Burgundy, Bordeaux etc.), by vintage and by several other methods.

As soon as the grower, chemist and manufacturer have finished their work, the businessman then takes over and wine today is certainly very big business. Wine sales in the United States alone run to something like 600 million gallons, representing in excess of $20 billion in consumer spending. Perhaps not surprisingly France leads the world when it comes to exports with 22% of world export volume, with Italy following close behind.

At the end of the day however, no matter how big a business wine producing has become, it is still very much a balance of science, art and business and winemaking is certainly not a venture to be entered into by the faint hearted.

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Posted on: September 9,2007

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