Today on shelves of our supermarkets the wine abundance in which it is quite simple to get confused reigns. To learn to understand wines it is necessary to understand their classification by the international standards first of all.
Instruction
1. All grape wines are divided by types, agrees the accepted in France, all-European classification. According to it wines divide into two fundamental groups: sparkling (containing the dissolved carbon dioxide which is formed in wine at natural fermentation and not removed specially) and silent (not containing carbon dioxide). The group of still wines breaks up to three subgroups: natural, liqueur and flavored. Natural still wines are the simplest wines which turn out in the natural way: fermentation of grape juice by means of yeast which turns sugar into alcohol. Fortress of still wines fluctuates from 8 to 15 degrees. All table wines belong to this type. On the basis of silent natural do the liqueur (fortified) and aromatized wines. Fortress of liqueur - 15-20 degrees. Reach it by addition in a still natural wine of strong alcohol drinks, most often brandy. Madeira, sherries, port wines, Marsala belong to liqueur wines. The aromatized wines receive addition in silent natural spices, herbs and spices and a chutochka of a grape spirit. The best-known aromatized wines are Vermouths. The most known sparkling wine – champagne.
2. Each wine has the style, which two things mean a baking plate: color of wine (white, pink, red) and degree of its sweet (dry, moist, semisweet, sweet). White wine can be received from grapes of any grade. The main thing is a way of its processing. When processing white wine the grapes succus is filtered at once and wanders without alburnum (thin skin). Color of white wine varies from cognac to light-straw. Wine with a reddish shade is called red. Its color fluctuates from densely - ruby to pale scarlet. Produce red wines from red grades of grapes, and the succus wanders together with a thin skin. Pink wines do of red grapes "in a white way". The mash wanders together with alburnum only several hours, then alburnum is deleted. Colors of pink wines vary from pale red to pinkish and pale. The majority of natural wines – dry. All sugar which is contained in them vybrazhivatsya "dry" in alcohol. There are natural semisweet or semidry wines in which sugar remains – because of natural features of a grade of grapes. But, unfortunately, such wines are very rare and expensive. The majority of semidry and semisweet wines are prepared with application of artificial snubbing of fermentation.
3. On structure Europe divides wines into blending (from mix of different grades of grapes) and sepazhny (high-quality, made of one grade of grapes). If wine was called on a grapes grade, for example by Cabernets or Merlot, so it high-quality, or sepazhny. Buying sepazhny wine, you know approximately what from it to wait for, proceeding from characteristics of a grade of grapes. At the same time it must be kept in mind that at all not from each grade of grapes the balanced wine turns out. It is interesting that from mix of rough, disharmonious wines the amazing fragrant product, with great taste can turn out. On the label from a reverse side of a bottle it is possible to read what grades of grapes are used for drawing up a blend.
4. On aging of wine are divided into young and sustained. The beginning of term of endurance it is considered to be on January 1 the year following harvesting. Young wines sell before this date. Ordinary (wines without endurance) realize since January 1 the year following a harvest. Sustained are those wines which maintain not less than half a year. The wines made of the first-class grapes and not less than 18 months matured in barrels, call branded. The best samples of such wines get to category collection which need additional endurance not less than three years. This classification isn't absolutely perfect as without endurance also low-grade, ordinary wines, and high quality can be ranked as wines, just not needing long endurance.
5. On the same European classification of wine are subdivided in the place of origin. Buying a wine bottle in shop, attentively study the label. If the place of origin of wine isn't specified - it is wine of the lowest quality which, according to the European standards, is called a table wine. For us this usual natural wine. For inhabitants of Europe it is a synonym of low-grade, cheap home brew which bottle costs no more than one - two dollars. When the place of origin is specified on the label (local wines), it means that the quality of such wine is much higher, than table. Specifying the place of origin of the drink on the label, the producer has to possess the license which confirms compliance of his wine to standard parameters for this region. If on the label the place of origin of wine which gives an idea of drink type is designated – it means that before you wine is guaranteed the highest quality. For assignment of such category, wine has to be made of strictly certain grades of grapes, according to the standards of its cultivation adopted for the concrete area. Such wines possess the original bouquet and a peculiar flavor characteristic only of the area specified in the name of drink.