What types of wines are there – classifications based on different bases. The meaning of still wine in the dictionary of alcoholic beverages

Wine classification

Wine is a constant companion of our lives, and knowledge about it is an element of our culture. Since ancient times, grape wine has been called sun drink. The grapes from which it is made accumulate solar energy in its berries and gives it to people. They quite rightly believe that everything bright and joyful was given to him by nature, and everything dark and evil was given to him by unreasonable people.

What types of wines are there?

Grape wine is a drink obtained as a result of fermentation of grape must (squeezed juice) with or without pulp (seeds and skins of crushed grapes). During the fermentation process, ethyl alcohol is formed due to the sugar of the grapes. If sugar is fermented completely (dry), dry wines are obtained.

Fermentation is a complex biochemical process caused by microorganisms (yeast) converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat. At the same time, bubbles of carbon dioxide (CD) appear on the surface of the wort or pulp - this is a sign that fermentation has begun. After two to three weeks, fermentation gradually stops, and a cloudy liquid without sugar, but enriched with alcohol, is formed. This is already wine. He is removed from yeast sediment, stand for some time in wine cellars, are treated to improve, lighten, develop aroma and taste. This is, in short, the method of producing natural dry wine. If, as a result of fermentation, some of the sugar is not fermented, then the resulting wine is called semi-dry or semi-sweet natural.

All wines are divided according to purpose, color and composition of the main components, grape variety, origin, aging period, preparation technology and aromaticity.

Fermentation of the wort can be stopped by adding ethyl alcohol(from food raw materials) for the production of fortified wines. This technological process in winemaking it is called alcoholization, as a result of which you can get strong or dessert wines. To produce natural wines grapes with a sugar content of at least 17 g/100 ml of sugar are used.

By purpose wines are divided into table wines (used as a flavorful addition to the table) and dessert wines (served with dessert).

By color There are white, rose and red wines. White wines are those that range in color from light straw to amber or the color of strong brewed tea. Rose and red wines have many shades from light ruby to dark garnet. White wines acquire darker tones with age, while red wines, on the contrary, become pale as the coloring substances precipitate.

By carbon dioxide content wines are divided into sparkling wines containing DU and still wines. Still wines do not contain excess DU.

Wines containing DU, are divided into:

Saturated with natural DU as a result of fermentation under pressure in an airtight container. This sparkling wine, obtained using special technology by secondary fermentation of high-quality dry wine materials in special tanks or bottles. Classic sparkling wines, produced in bottles and aged in them for at least three years, are called aged and collection. In Crimea, fermentation in hermetic tanks produces sparkling wines, for example, "Muscat sparkling", " Red sparkling", "Sevastopol sparkling", etc.
Sparkling or carbonated - wines artificially saturated with DU. These are the wines “Aligote Sparkling”, “Bakhchisarai Fountain”, “Southern Sparkling”, etc.

By sugar content wines are divided into table semi-dry (1-2.5 g/100 ml), semi-sweet (3-8 g/100 ml - table and 5-12 g/100 ml - dessert), sweet (14-20 g/100 ml) and liqueur (21-35 g/100 ml).

Still wines according to their composition they are divided into the following groups:

table wines obtained without adding alcohol;
dry, containing naturally fermented alcohol from 9 -14% vol.;
semi-dry, semi-sweet wines with a naturally fermented alcohol content of 9-12% vol.;
fortified wines produced using rectified alcohol;
strong, containing 17 - 20% vol. alcohol;
dessert with an alcohol content of 12-17% vol.

In the formation of wine, the soil and location of the vineyard, climate and human labor play an important role, but the main thing remains the grapes.

By grape variety wines are divided into varietal, sepage and blended wines.

Varietal wines are prepared from one grape variety, although the addition of up to 15% of other grape varieties of the same botanical species is allowed (Cabernet Massandra, Red Port Livadia, Bastardo Massandra, Aleatico Ayu-Dag, etc.) .

Sepage wines are prepared from a mixture of grape varieties by proportionally mixing them during processing ("Sunny Valley", "Black Doctor", "Black Colonel", etc.).

Blended wines are produced from two or several batches of wine materials made from different grape varieties (Red Stone White Muscat, South Coast Red Port, etc.).

By quality wines are divided into ordinary, vintage, collection, and old. For dry table wines, aging must be at least 1.5 years, with the exception of Kakheti type wines, for which aging must be at least 1 year; for strong and dessert wines aging - 2 years or more.

Vintage wines of higher or highest quality are called collection wines if, after aging in oak containers, they are stored in bottles for at least 3 years.

Among fine wines, KNP wines (controlled appellations of origin) stand out. They are produced in strictly limited geographical areas from specific grape varieties, and the use of their names in other areas is prohibited. The production of these wines is controlled by the producing country. But in the CIS countries and Crimea such wines are not produced today.

IN wine producing countries relatively recently a new category has appeared - local wines. It brings together high-quality vintage and ordinary wines, the name of which necessarily indicates the place of their production.

Ordinary wines are wines consumed in next year after a year of their development without aging.

Vintage high-quality wines are produced from certain grape varieties and aged in oak containers for at least 1.5 - 2 years, starting from the first of January of the year following the harvest.

Old wines can only be found in enotecas.

According to cooking technology traditional wines stand out, classical methods production (barrel aging, bottle champagne) and modern progressive technological methods (tank sparkling, continuous sherry).

A bottle of vintage wine can tell a lot about the weather conditions of the year in which it was made, the method of preparation, aging conditions, its flowering and aging characteristics. The most short-lived wines are table wines. They usually die off by the age of 40, turning into a tasteless liquid with a high content of volatile acids. Strong wines such as port, Madeira, sherry, the most complete development occurs after 80-100 or more years of aging. Dessert wines are the most unique decoration of collections. Like strong vintage wines, they are preserved, improving quality. In winemaking practice, the oldest Crimean dessert wine is pink muscat "Magarach" from the 1836 harvest, listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

According to European Wine Law, wines are divided into table, local and vintage.

Table wines are produced in various regions of a particular country and contain at least 9% alcohol by volume. depending on the area. These wines can be mixed with similar ones from different regions of the country and are intended for everyday consumption. On average, in Western European countries they produce about 50% of the total volume of wine production, which often creates a surplus that is annually withdrawn from trade for processing into alcohol.

Vintage high-quality wines are controlled by:

according to the origin of the area, the boundaries of which provide for soil homogeneity,
according to grape varieties historically identified in each area,
according to the method of growing grapes (distance between bushes, pruning, care, etc.),
according to production technology, including aging.

Vintage high-quality wines have an additional set of quality rules:

list of grape varieties for mixing in percentage terms,
the maximum permitted grape yield per hectare,
alcohol content.

The production volume of these wines is up to 30% in France, 14% in Italy, and up to 90% in Germany.

French vintage wines from small grape-growing areas have in their names mandatory indications of exact data on production, the highest yield per hectare, and controllability of origin.

The world of modern alcohol is oversaturated big amount alcoholic beverages, which are aimed at delighting the consumer with elegant taste and aroma characteristics.

In this article you will learn about what it is still wine, what does this term mean, what kind of alcoholic products belong to this segment. Moreover, you will learn how to choose these products and present them correctly to the table.

Today all types of wines that contain no carbon dioxide are called still. Thus, among the representatives of this segment you will always find a solid variety of dry, semi-dry, strong and dessert wines with different composition and the manufacturing principle. Special attention can be paid to the classification of these drinks depending on the aging period. In other words, on sale you will find:

Aged products. Alcohol that is aged for at least 6 months in large stationary containers, and only then bottled.
Vintage. Alcohol High Quality, whose aging lasts at least 1.5 years for regular table products, and at least 2 years for fortified and dessert options.
Collectible. The best representatives of the segment, whose aging lasts for at least three years.

Color

The visual color can be very diverse, from exquisite gold to pink or velvety red. It all depends on the principles of production and the variety of grapes used.

Aroma

The aromatic component of classic products is based on the most delicate varietal trails of grapes, enriched with spices, fruits, spices and other bright nuances.

Taste

The gastronomic flavor of a good still wine is always a balanced base with subtle flavor tints.

Did you know? The most popular variety white grapes, used to create wine for many centuries, is Chardonnay.

How to buy original alcohol

Still wines as well as sparkling drinks, are especially popular among counterfeiters. Practice shows that counterfeits today can be found for almost any brand. Therefore, when faced with the purchasing procedure, you should pay attention to the fundamental principles of quality alcohol.

Otherwise, you will have to deal with distorted taste and aroma characteristics. If you want to protect yourself from buying counterfeit goods, try to take into account the following nuances:

Place of purchase. Do not buy alcohol from kiosks, grocery stores and other dubious points of sale where the client cannot be provided with proper quality certificates.
Excise tax If you trust exclusively foreign alcohol, then during the purchasing process be sure to pay attention to excise stamp. All alcohol products that undergo customs clearance receive this element of protection.
Structure. Good wine Regardless of its degree of aging, it should pamper its consumer with exquisite color and elegant, clean texture. Various impurities, including sediment and turbidity, are direct signs of a low-quality product.
Decor. Before buying the alcohol you like, visit the official website of its manufacturer and familiarize yourself with what visual elements the original container should have. Also thoroughly examine the bottle for manufacturing defects. Glass chips, glue drips, asymmetrically placed labels - all of this together is unacceptable for high-quality modern wine.

How to serve

Tasting of silent products should be based on fundamental classical principles submissions. They will allow you to thoroughly study organoleptic indicators any purchased drink.

Products must be poured into special full-bodied wine glasses with a thin stem and transparent glass. These glasses allow you to fully explore the color and aroma of the drink.

It is also important to take into account temperature standards. White wines are served at 10-12 degrees, red wines at 16-18 degrees, and rose wines at 6-8 degrees. Neglect of temperature is guaranteed to affect your overall impressions of the product.

What products does it combine with?

Snacks for still wines are selected individually, based directly on the main gastronomic and aromatic characteristics of the purchased assemblage. As for universal accompaniment, it includes fruits, desserts and salads.

Other uses

In the event that tasting the drink in pure form did not bring the desired pleasure, we recommend trying still wine in combination with various ingredients.

Almost all representatives of this segment perform well as a basis for creating cocktails, and therefore, you can always diversify your tasting. The most popular wine-based mixes include Opera, Louisiana, Quarterdeck and Amontillado.

Did you know? Numerous studies have shown that moderate wine consumption reduces the risk of cognitive decline.

What types of this drink are there?

Do you want to enjoy exquisite tastes and the aromas of representatives of still wine? We recommend paying attention to trade marks and products that have already proven themselves to be the best in the international alcohol arena. Such products can safely include:

Campagnola Classico DOC. A light red product with a fruity aroma and a delicate taste, in which a slight sourness can be heard.

Fratelli Martini Sant'Orsola Veneto IGT. Pale straw alcohol with a magnificent aromatic nature, which is clearly audible with fruity notes. Taste characteristics are outlined in halftones of white flowers and pine needles.
Gaja Pieve Santa Restituta di Montalcino. An exclusive dark ruby drink, in the aroma of which you can hear orange zest, spices, Pine nuts and truffles. The taste is based on velvety tannins with a fruity, long aftertaste.

Zyme Amarone della Classico DOC. It has a deep ruby color, as well as the most delicate flavor of herbs, rose petals and fruits. There are undertones in the aroma forest berries, dried fruits and cherries.

Historical reference

Wine is an exquisite alcoholic drink whose history goes back more than 6 thousand years. According to numerous archaeological finds, winemaking arose almost at the same time as viticulture. This happened around the Neolithic era. The development of winemaking skills in ancient times is attributed to such regions as Transcaucasia, East Asia and the northern Zagros Mountains. In fact, it was these regions that became the progenitors of modern wine assemblages.

Colorful impressions from every sip

The still drinks segment today is one of the most widespread among types of wine products. Representatives of these products are present in the catalog of almost every famous manufacturer. And this is not surprising, because classic drinks have been famous for their tenderness and pristine aromatic nature since time immemorial.

The versatility of these products deserves special attention. They can be combined with a large number of ingredients, achieving amazing gastronomic incarnations.

Pick up gourmet drinks for myself, based on the diversity that today is replete with the segment of quiet assemblages.

Still wines, as opposed to sparkling wines, do not “play” - they do not contain carbon dioxide and those delicious bubbles that champagne delights with. They attract subtle aroma, rich taste with many shades and a long pleasant aftertaste.

It is not enough for every wine lover to know what “still wine” means - it is necessary to understand all the diversity of this category. Here are the main sections of the classification of still wines.

By color

By sugar concentration

Russian standards divide wines into 4 categories based on sugar concentration. Classification may vary in other countries.

Dry - contain less than one percent residual sugar, or no more than 4 grams per liter.
Semi-dry - the sugar fermentation process is not completely completed; 4-18 grams of sugar remain in one liter of wine.
Semi-sweet - contain 18-45 grams of sugar per liter.
Sweet - more than 45 grams of sugar in one liter of wine.

By exposure duration

In most cases, aging wine has a positive effect on its taste and aroma, but there are also varieties that do not need aging, for example, Beaujolais - it is usually drunk young. The wine material is aged in French oak barrels, steel containers or bottles. Depending on the aging period, there are:

young wines - not subjected to aging;
aged - matured for at least six months in large-volume wine tanks before getting to the bottling line;
vintage - high-quality wines from a certain region, aged for at least one and a half years for table wines and at least 2 years for fortified wines;
collection - the best examples of vintage wines, which before sale were matured not only in barrels and tanks, but also for at least 3 years in bottles.

The oldest wine on the planet is stored in Strasbourg. It has no name, but the date of manufacture is known - 1472. During its entire existence, it was tasted only 3 times, and according to the latest chemical analyses, the wine has such high acidity that it is more like vinegar or lemon juice. The Crimean Museum "Massandra" houses several bottles of Spanish sherry from the 1775 harvest. One of them was opened in 1964, the other was sold at auction for $50,000, and three bottles should remain in the museum’s collections forever.

By grape variety

Mono-seed wine - made from one grape variety, labeled with the year of harvest.
Blended wine - made from a mixture of grapes of different varieties. For example, the famous Bordeaux blend is made from cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot. Cabernet Franc occasionally replaces Malbec or Petit Verdot.

Now you know that this is still wine, and you will not feel embarrassed if someone offers you a glass of still wine. This is not something special and specific, but the very same still wine that is well known to you.

Still wines, as opposed to sparkling wines, do not “play” - they do not contain carbon dioxide and those delicious bubbles that champagne delights with. They attract with a delicate aroma, rich taste with many shades and a long, pleasant aftertaste.

By color

By sugar concentration

Russian standards divide wines into 4 categories based on sugar concentration. Classification may vary in other countries.

Dry - contain less than one percent residual sugar, or no more than 4 grams per liter.
Semi-dry - the sugar fermentation process is not completely completed; 4-18 grams of sugar remain in one liter of wine.
Semi-sweet - contain 18-45 grams of sugar per liter.
Sweet - more than 45 grams of sugar in one liter of wine.

By exposure duration

young wines - not subjected to aging;
aged - matured for at least six months in large-volume wine tanks before getting to the bottling line;
vintage - high-quality wines from a certain region, aged for at least one and a half years for table wines and at least 2 years for fortified wines;
collection - the best examples of vintage wines, which before sale were matured not only in barrels and tanks, but also for at least 3 years in bottles.

By grape variety

Mono-seed wine - made from one grape variety, labeled with the year of harvest.
Blended wine - made from a mixture of grapes of different varieties. For example, the famous Bordeaux blend is made from cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot. Cabernet Franc occasionally replaces Malbec or Petit Verdot.

Wine is a drink that can be discussed endlessly. It is believed that it was given to humanity as a gift from the gods and brings great benefit the body, gives a feeling of happiness and joy. Of course, if there is no talk of alcoholism, and it is used in moderation.

And if we talk about positive effect consumption, it should be noted that the inexpensive drinks that fill the shelves of our supermarkets generally do not provide any benefit to the body, but we can talk for a long time about their harm. Therefore, when talking about what kind of wines there are, we will start from high-quality products from well-known wineries or home-made analogues.

So, winemaking is based on fruit and berry grape production. That is, first of all, what kind of wines there are depends on the raw materials from which they are made. Fruit and berry products are drinks made from berries (raspberries, strawberries, rowan, etc.) and fruits (apples, pears, peaches, etc.).

Such wines are valued much less than grape wines, and it is practically impossible to buy high-quality products of this variety in our stores. The exception, however, is such drinks as French apple-based) or German Obswein. Fruit and berry wines, in turn, are divided into still and sparkling. The former do not foam when opened, the latter have a champagne effect.

Now let's take a closer look at grape wines. Moreover, these are the drinks that are considered classic in winemaking. So, what kind of grape wines are there? They are classified into main types depending on how much alcohol and sugar they contain. The lightest are table wines. They are divided into dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet. More intoxicating ones are dessert ones. In turn, they are divided into (such as Cahors, Muscat, Tokai) and liqueur. The most intoxicating wines that exist are dessert strong ones: Madeira, port and others.

Grape drinks are naturally made from the corresponding berry. And she might be different varieties. Depending on this, wines are divided into white, rose and red.

If a drink is created on the basis of berries of one variety, it is a varietal wine.
If the grapes different types mixed, and then a drink is made on this base, this is sepazh wine.
If for the production of products they use mixing wine materials based on different ones, this is blending.

It is known that the longer the drink plays and infuses, the more interesting and brighter its bouquet reveals itself. Therefore, the type of wine it is is also influenced by its aging time. Those products that are aged for up to a year are called “ordinary” or “young”. It is much cheaper than vintage wine. The latter are bottled only after they have been infused for two to five years. oak barrels. And if such a wine is already in a container, closed in a horizontal position at certain temperatures and humidity in the basement, it becomes a collectible, and its value increases significantly.