Wine Making Is An Age Old Art, A Modern Day Science and A World-wide Business

Wine producing has been practiced in one form or another for many thousands of years now with pottery jars found in Persia (present day Iran) dating as far back as 5,500 BC showing evidence of grapes use for winemaking. In addition, jars from Jiahu in China dated to between 6000 and 7000 BC have also been found containing wine from wild grapes.

But whether we are considering ancient or modern wine production, a number of the same conditions apply and not dissimilar techniques are used as the chemistry of the grape is an eternal quality.

With a few notable exceptions the grapes used for producing wine grow only only between latitudes 30-50 degrees North and 30-45 degrees South of the equator. As opposed to many other crops, grapes do not need an especially fertile soil and it is interesting to note that a thinner soil usually results in a small crop but also usually produces grapes of a higher quality.

Surprisingly, soils which are rich in nitrogen and other nutrients (conditions which are generally highly beneficial for most plants) can produce grapes which are not suitable for winemaking. These grapes are however often fine for eating, but lack the required quantities of minerals, sugars and acids for winemaking.

Without doubt, the best 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 chalk or clay. The crop here is small, but the quality of the grapes produced is high. In this case the pebbly earth allows for good drainage, which is essential as grapevines need adequate but not too much water, but these conditions force the roots to reach deep into the earth where they absorb a variety of complex minerals.

Vineyards are also most often found along river valleys, with slopes providing abundant sunshine. Vines in these cases are commonly of the European species vitis vinifera, from which a variety of well known wines are made, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, 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 (nowadays, sometimes referred to as an oenologist), must 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 (still, sparkling, fortified, ros�, blush), by region (Alsace, Burgundy, Bordeaux etc.), by vintage and by several other methods.

As soon as the farmer, chemist and manufacturer have finished their work, the businessman then takes the stage and today wine is certainly very big business. Wine sales in the United States alone run to over 600 million gallons, representing over $20 billion in consumer spending. Perhaps not surprisingly France is the world leader when it comes to exports with 22% of 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 business venture to be undertaken by the faint hearted.

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