There are a very large number of people among us who love good wine. Today there are so many nuances in the production of this alcohol that sometimes you can choose something that is not at all what you expected. For example, do you often pay attention to inscriptions and markings? It happens that a bottle that looks no different from a wine bottle contains a wine drink, and this is only discovered at home. What kind of drink is this and is it safe to drink?

Concept

Before we delve into the various details, it’s worth finding out what alcohol is.
Wine is an alcoholic drink that is obtained through the process of complete or partial fermentation of grape juice. A wine drink is an alcoholic drink that is obtained from fruit wine materials and grape wine materials with a share of rectified ethyl alcohol, cognac, fruit, grape alcohols, wine concentrates, water, sugar, aromatic additives and dyes.

Composition and raw materials

The difference in the composition and raw materials of alcohol is significant. Noble alcohol is produced by fermenting different grape varieties. Sometimes alcohol and other ingredients may be added that increase the “degree” of alcohol or help achieve a certain taste, for example. But such ingredients are always of natural origin.

The situation is different when it comes to the composition of a wine drink. If for some reason the wine material has not become a full-fledged wine, the wort has deteriorated, the juice has fermented, unusual ingredients have been added, the taste and smell of a different quality are added, it is diluted with rectified alcohol, water, a couple of dyes and food additives. Thus, everything that was spoiled is corrected, the taste and smell become better, and the product goes on store shelves, but under a different name. Some countries produce budget lines of such alcohol. They are distinguished by the quality and naturalness of the ingredients. Such wine drinks are produced from surplus good wine materials.

Fortress

Drinking water or rectified alcohol, fruit or berry flavors and dyes are added to the fermented wort. Using this technology, a carbonated wine drink is also produced, which is saturated with carbon dioxide. This finished product is somewhat similar to sparkling wines, but with a lighter taste. However, the quality and lightness of the final product directly depends on compliance with all technical rules and the quality of the primary raw materials.

How to choose the right wine drink

Since now you know the difference between a wine drink and wine, we can talk about how to choose a more or less normal product. Among these products there are also some pretty good representatives, especially if you can’t buy good wine. What should you pay attention to when choosing this inexpensive alcohol?

• Price policy. Such alcohol costs several times less than fine wine, and therefore is more attractive, especially for those who want to drink something pleasant, but not financially burdensome. A good product in this segment costs from $3 for a 0.75 liter bottle. You can buy alcohol at a lower price, but most likely you will get more problems than any pleasure.
• Place of purchase. Such alcohol can be bought almost anywhere, but it is best to purchase it in trusted stores or supermarkets.
• Label– an important nuance when choosing any alcohol. The label must indicate exactly what kind of alcohol it is, composition, bottling date, manufacturer, expiration date. Appearance is also of particular importance. Very bad paper, blurry text, unevenness, traces of glue - all this indicates that the product is most likely of very low quality or was completely spilled somewhere on the next street.

• State of the liquid. Good representatives of the series have liquid without sediment, not cloudy. If you overdid it with the addition of various unnatural ingredients or added very cheap alcoholic material, sediment will be visible. It is better not to purchase such alcohol, because such sediment always gives an unpleasant aftertaste.
• Tara. Alcohol can be sold in almost any container - bottle, tetrapack, plastic container. But if you choose a good one, you should still buy the bottled version, since you will have the opportunity to view the liquid, and there is less chance that low-quality containers will ruin the taste.

How to serve and drink correctly

• Preparation. Spirits are best served in a decanter. Thus, the alcohol will breathe and reveal its positive qualities.
• Dishes. Can be served in almost any glass. There are no special requirements for alcohol. You can use tulip glasses like you would for wine.
• Temperature. It is better to cool the alcohol before serving, as at room temperature it will have an unpleasant taste and aroma. It is better to cool to 6-8 degrees.
• When to serve. Can be used both as and as. The first option is preferable, since alcohol stimulates the appetite well.
• Atmosphere. It is advisable to drink it in the afternoon or lunch. It would be appropriate to use in a friendly company, on vacation, during lunch or dinner.

Snack

A huge number of dishes are served as appetizers. , with that they drink a drink. The only exceptions are liquid dishes. What is being served?

• Light snacks, tartlets, sandwiches.
• Salads.
• Fruit and cheese plates.
• Desserts and sweets.
• Fish – salmon, carp, trout.
• Meat dishes - veal, poultry, game.
• Grilled dishes work well.
• Seafood - mussels, squid, oysters, shrimp.

Varieties and brands

Red varieties

• Vinex Slavyantsi “Drunk Blackberry” - the basis is a noble alcohol from pinot noir grapes grown in Bulgaria, Sungunlar Valley. The composition also includes a flavoring agent – ​​blackberry extract – and an antioxidant. The taste is sweet, grape-blackberry, the aroma is pleasant.

• El Cantillo Sangria is a traditional Spanish spirit. It is made on the basis of red wine with extracts of natural fruits. It has a garnet color. The aroma is fruity, with notes of zest and cherry. The taste is rich, with a refreshing sourness in the aftertaste.

• “Rozhdestvensky mulled wine” made in Russia. It has a light red color. Aroma with characteristic notes of apple, orange, coriander, cloves and cinnamon. The taste is soft and balanced.

• Lambrusco Fabio Castello is also a Russian product. A distinctive feature of this brand is high-quality wine material made from Lambrusco grapes. Italian wine material has its own certificate of origin. The aroma is fresh, with notes of violets and cherries. The taste is fruity with notes of almond.

White varieties

• Ningbo Best Spirits China - Chinese products. Infused with the aroma of blossoming almonds. The taste is honey, you can feel the white mume plum.

• Bosca is the oldest manufacturer of wine products. Has a generous fruity aroma. The taste is balanced, light, fruity.

• Naomi is a sweet Japanese alcohol. Pleasant fruity notes harmoniously intertwine with floral tones in the aroma. The taste is light and soft.

• “Magdalena” is a balanced, golden-colored alcohol. The aroma is light, fruity. Taste with sourness. It is a high quality product and is made on the basis of .

Some people like it, others like it, and others will also like budget drinks. The main thing is to remember that good products always have a neat appearance, a pleasant aroma and an adequate price.

What do you think about such products? Have you tried any brand? What can you recommend? Be sure to write about it in the comments.

The wine drink appeared on the shelves of Russian stores at the beginning of the 21st century. However, it has already gained great popularity among the population. What is the difference between a wine drink and wine? Why do some people choose to buy it? In our article we will answer all these questions.

Products

A wine drink is an alcoholic product. Its production process is similar to the production of dessert and table wine. It is obtained by fermenting different varieties of grapes, berries, cereals, herbs with the addition of alcohol and other components. However, sometimes situations arise when wine material, for some reason, cannot become a raw material for making wine. It most often spoils for technical reasons: it acquires a taste or smell of unsuitable quality. In such cases, a wine drink is prepared from it.

This product is manufactured by different companies. There has been great demand for it recently. This is due to the fact that not all people are able to purchase good, expensive wine. The following drinks are considered the most famous:

• "Plum" (Germany).
• "Bosca Rosa", "Bosca Anniversari", "Bosca Chardonnay" (Lithuania).
• "Adzi Plum White" (Bulgaria).
• "Sangria Esta" (Russia).

Manufacturing

Producing a wine drink is very simple. Wine material that has not passed the required selection criteria for wine production is diluted with alcohol or purified drinking water. Various ingredients are added to it, which should improve and soften the taste, which is prohibited when making wine. These ingredients include flavorings, colors, emulsifiers, etc. Sometimes a wine drink is made from powdered wine material, which is diluted with alcohol. But there is one requirement established by the laws of the Russian Federation: the drink must consist of 50% wine material.

There are many wine drinks that are not bottled, but are made directly in the glass. Their basis is wine. For example, in Spain they prepare wine drinks: “Rebujito”, “Tino de Berano”, “Sangria”. Outwardly, they resemble ordinary cocktails. In order to make any such drink, you will need drinking water, wine, fruits or herbs. They are served with ice. You can take sparkling or regular water, and red or white wine.

Kinds

Wine drink is a low-alcohol product. The strength of such a product is up to 25%. Its differences depend on the wine material. Drinks are classified as follows: grape, berry, vegetable, cereal, etc. They may differ in color. There are red, white and pink varieties. Products may vary in sugar and alcohol content. Recently, semi-sweet wine drinks have appeared on store shelves. The sugar content in them varies from 3 to 8%.

Carbonated wine drinks are considered an interesting new product. They differ in that during manufacturing they are saturated with carbon dioxide. This allows the product to be sparkling. Very often, such carbonated wine drinks are called champagne. But this is not entirely correct. The champagne production technology is different. The strength of these varieties is 6.9 or 12%.

Manufacturer

Many companies are involved in the production of wine drinks in Russia. According to statistics, the production of this product has increased over the past three years. Wine drinks are not only a common occurrence on the shelves of domestic stores. The export of these goods to the countries of the former CIS has increased. Currently, the most common wine drinks on the Russian market are the products of the Crimean company Massandra. This manufacturer bottles up to 10 million bottles per year. According to the laws of the Russian Federation, which are considered the most stringent regarding the quality of products, Massandra wine does not meet existing standards. The name "wine drink" must be on the bottle labels.

Advantages

How much do wine drinks cost? The prices for such products are noticeably cheaper than ordinary dessert or table wine. Usually it is 200 Russian rubles. That is why the drink is very popular among those people whose financial situation does not allow them to purchase high-quality, expensive wine.

And the taste of a wine drink is often not inferior to wine. But this is only if the product is manufactured according to all the rules in compliance with basic production technologies. This wine drink from reliable producers has a pleasant taste, an interesting bouquet of aroma, and special beneficial properties. Of course, the buyer must be prepared for the fact that the properties of the product, no matter how high-quality it may be, are somewhat simpler than those of dessert or table wine. But its cost is also noticeably lower. This is what an interesting new wine drink is considered to be! The difference between this product and wine, however, is immediately felt.

Flaws

According to the laws of the Russian Federation, a wine drink must contain 50% wine material. But not all manufacturers comply with the laws. Very often, less raw materials are used in the manufacture of a product than required. This affects not only the taste and aroma, but also the properties of the drink. Such a product often has a pale color, a specific odor and an unpleasant taste.

Often, a wine drink is made from powdered raw materials. This affects the quality of the product. During storage, sediment forms at the bottom of the bottle. In addition, the product may cause unpleasant side effects. These include: upset stomach, dizziness, poisoning, etc. To avoid this, we recommend purchasing drinks from reliable manufacturers.

Shake it up and decided to look into this heartbreaking question, and see what came out of it below...

Short answer

Wine– a drink that is obtained by fermenting fresh grapes or grape must.

It should be noted that in Russia there is a law according to which a drink made exclusively from grapes is considered wine; all other additives, be it sugar, alcohol, acid or something else, automatically deprive the drink of this valiant name.

Wine drink- a product in which, in addition to wine raw materials, there is something else, for example: sugar, alcohol, etc. The quality of such products varies, from good to obvious counterfeit. The taste and smell of such alcohol almost always loses to its “big brother”.

What is hidden under the wine drink?

According to the standard, a wine (still or carbonated) drink must contain at least 50% wine material. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs neglect this law, using a much smaller percentage, which undoubtedly affects the product.

As a rule, such drinks are produced from the same wine materials that are used in the production of wine. Although it very often happens that “wine” for various reasons cannot be considered complete. This is due to production errors, for example, if the fermented grape juice has acquired an unpleasant odor or taste.

If a similar situation occurs at a large enterprise, then sometimes the manufacturer simply dilutes the spoiled raw materials with alcohol or ordinary drinking water. In addition, berry or fruit flavors are often added to such material, plus various dyes.

Important!

The inscription “Wine drink” on the bottle label has nothing to do with such concepts as: powdered wine and dry alcohol.

Fortified wines and wine drink

Most of the Russian fortified wines until 2014 were labeled as “Wine drink”, but at the moment all fortified wines produced in Russia from their own grapes are qualified by law as “Special liqueur wines”.

Very often, such ordinary wines reek of alcohol, but this is not because “they are fortified with the wrong thing,” but because only about a year passes until it is ready and bottled, while vintage wines are aged in bottles three years more.

Of course, there are always outright bad things like port 777 and the like, which, in addition to the distant taste, can cause significant damage to your body.

Pay attention to the price of the wine drink

The price of this product is noticeably lower than that of traditional manufactured wine, and in Russia it averages from 140 rubles. That is why this drink is very popular among those who are not able to buy more expensive and high-quality wine.

However, despite the low cost, the mentioned product can still be relatively aromatic and have decent taste. But this is only possible if the wine drink was made in good faith, that is, the manufacturer did not try in any way to disguise any low-quality or spoiled raw materials.

Error or something to add?

There are so many nuances in modern alcohol production that in order to choose the right drink, you need to understand its labeling. First of all, you need to know how wine differs from a wine drink, because the difference between them is quite significant both in technology and in taste and price.

But if it is not a very cheap product, then the taste may even be very pleasant, although not the same as in a natural product.

How does a wine drink differ from natural wine?

First you need to understand what natural wine is. This is an alcoholic drink that has a different percentage of strength (depending on the amount of alcohol and sugar) and is made only from grapes by fermenting the juice.

If an alcoholic drink is made from other products, for example, berries, vegetables or herbs, then it has a different name - liqueur, tincture, brandy, vermouth, etc.

But the wine drink also consists of 50% grape wine. But usually for it they take the material that for some reason cannot become a full-fledged natural wine (the juice has fermented more than necessary, etc.).

How does a wine drink differ in production?

How does a wine drink differ from wine during the manufacturing process? The fermented wort is mixed with drinking water or alcohol, and flavors (fruit or berries) and dyes are added to it. All these additives are unacceptable in classic grape wine.

There is a segment among such drinks that are carbonated with carbon dioxide. The finished product is something like sparkling wine with a light, pleasant taste. But only if during the manufacture of the product all rules were followed and there was no saving on raw materials.

Some experts in the field of wine believe that a wine drink is the product of an honest manufacturer who does not try to hide the fact that the material turned out to be unsuccessful. By diluting it with alcohol or water, and also flavoring it, a product goes on sale that has a price much lower than grape wine.

Unfortunately, some manufacturing companies, for the sake of profit, pass off an ordinary wine drink as a full-fledged grape wine.

What is the difference between wine and Massandra wine drink

It should be noted that Massandra has always been considered the most popular brand of wine on the Ukrainian market. This Crimean peninsula company produces at least ten million bottles of various wines every year.

A few years ago, the question arose about the import of these wines into the Russian Federation, but according to the legislation at that time they could only be called a wine drink. Why did it happen?

The fact is that Massandra fortified wines are made on the basis of beet or grain alcohol. This was contrary to the laws adopted in this regard in the country (when fastening should only be done with grape alcohol), although the company produced wine only using classical technologies.

But, despite all this, the difference between wine and the Massandra wine drink is quite large (still, unspoiled raw materials are used for this). Lovers of this wine both bought it and continue to buy it, despite some changes on the label, because the production technology has not changed at all.

Famous wine drinks

Of course, quite a lot of this product is produced, since there is a demand for it. After all, not all people can buy good grape wine. Let's list some of them.

• Bosca Anniversari, Bosca Chardonnay, Bosca Rosa (Lithuania);
• Sangria Esta (Russia);
• Adzi Plum White (Bulgaria);
• Plum (Germany).

It should be noted that there are quite a lot of wine drinks that are not bottled, but prepared directly in the glass. To make such a delicious dish, you need wine (red or white), drinking water (sparkling or regular), various fruits, and herbs.

For example, in Spain, in hot weather, Tino de Berano, Sangria, and Rebujito are popular, served with ice. They are very similar to regular cocktails, but their base is wine. And one of the simplest and almost universally known wine drinks is cider.

When choosing, you need to be guided by the proven quality and reputation of the manufacturer, because it is in this segment of alcoholic products that a greater number of low-quality products are possible. Knowing the difference between wine and a wine drink, it will be very easy to make a choice based on your financial capabilities.

The alcohol departments of supermarkets offer a wide variety of wines to suit every taste and budget. True, not everything that is bottled is wine. There are so-called “wine drinks” that only experienced wine lovers can identify. AiF.ru told about how a wine drink differs from wine sommelier Grigory Chegodaev.

— Wine is a product of fermentation of grape must. Grape juice goes through the process of fermentation, i.e. fermentation due to the processing of sugar by yeast. A wine drink is an artificially created product that is very similar to wine. But it is not made by fermenting natural juice. Typically, grain alcohol is added to grape juice, as well as food flavorings and possibly water.

From a production point of view, both wine and wine drinks are high-quality products that are safe for humans if they are made in an industrial environment and have passed control by inspection services. If a wine drink (like wine) is made at home by an unprofessional winemaker, it can be harmful.

How to distinguish a wine drink from wine?

Some manufacturers mislead buyers and pass off a wine drink as wine. Often, a consumer can buy a wine drink if he takes a product in a low price category. By law, it is not necessary to write on the main label of the bottle whether it contains wine or a wine drink. This information can only be seen on the back label; it is usually indicated in small print.

Professional tasters and people who often drink wine can easily distinguish it from a wine drink. A wine drink with added flavorings has an artificial taste and aroma. Chemistry has learned to synthesize absolutely any aromas, but it is still impossible to achieve such harmony and grace as nature provides.

It is necessary to buy wine in organized retail outlets, primarily in federal chain supermarkets. They control where the wine comes from. Specialized alcohol markets, alcohol boutiques, and wine bars are also suitable. In Russia, the circulation of food products without labeling is prohibited. In places of organized trade, no seller will take risks by offering unlabeled products or products purchased from unknown suppliers.

The most shadowy problem area now is the tourist spots on the Russian coast. There, unscrupulous entrepreneurs take advantage of tourists’ attention to local wines and begin selling counterfeit wines. You should not buy wines that are sold from barrels. As a rule, they contain sideburn boxes of 10-20 liters. And the barrel itself is just a shell, a decoration. As a rule, they sell wine drinks under the guise of wine.