Background

1. What is “viticulture”?

The cultivation of wine grapes for the production of wine is called "viticulture."

2. What are the four broad categories of wine?

Wine types can be divided into four broad categories: table wines, sparkling wines, fortified wines, and aromatic wines.

3. What range of wines do table wines include?

Table wines include a range of red, white, and rose wines; sparkling wines include champagne and other "bubbly" wines; aromatic wines contain fruits, plants, and flowers; and fortified wines are table wines with brandy or other alcohol added.

History

4. Where was wine used 5,000 years ago?

Well documented in numerous Biblical references, evidence of wine can be traced back to Egypt as far as 5,000 B.C. Tomb wall paintings showing the use of wine as well as actual wine jars found in Egyptian tombs provide evidence of this fact.

5. For how many years has wine been made in the Bordeaux region?

Some of the best wine in the world is still produced in southern France, particularly in the Bordeaux region, where wine has been made for more than 2,000 years.

6. Which states are the largest producer s of wine in America today?

Today, California and New York state are by far the largest American producers of wine, and California is one of the largest wine producers in the world.

The manufacturing process

7. Which is a universal factor in the production of wine?

A universal factor in the production of fine wine is timing. This includes picking grapes at the right time, removing the must at the right time, monitoring and regulating fermentation, and storing the wine long enough.

8. What are the four steps of wine-making process?

The wine-making process can be divided into four distinct steps: harvesting and crushing grapes; fermenting must; ageing the wine; and packaging.