As they said in Ancient Rome, In vino veritas, and one cannot disagree with this. Indeed, despite technological progress and the cultivation of new grape varieties, wine remains one of the most honest drinks. People can fake a famous brand, but it’s impossible to fake taste, smell and color. And like 1000 years ago, quality wine is able to unleash the tongue even to the most laconic person.
Many will be surprised and say "Wine is wine", but once you delve into the question, it will become clear how diverse the world of this drink is.
3 facts of influence on history
1. For the first time, wine received the status of a divine gift in Greek mythology, when the Gods of Olympus shared his recipe with people. This drink is still used in many religious rites to this day.
2. Many historians agreed that the beginning of the French Revolution was the increase in the tax on wine, which later made the alcoholic drink inaccessible to the middle class.
3. When taxes increased in France, friendly relations were established between Britain and Portugal. According to the researchers, the British really liked the taste of Portuguese port.
And now let's move on to the main question - according to what criteria wines are divided into categories.
General classification
It is impossible to talk about all the varieties in one article, so let's talk about the oldest and most popular European country for the production of wine drinks - France. It was here that a four-level classification of wines by quality categories was recorded.
Table wines (VDT or vin de table). Beverage production can be based on the use of different grapes and grapes. To ensure a 9% alcohol level, sugar syrup is allowed in the wort. The label of table wines does not indicate the place of manufacture and the year of harvest. Due to the lack of expressiveness and personality, they did not deserve the attention of critics and sommeliers, and good restaurants will never include them on the menu.
Vin de pays (VDP), or local, belong to the quality category of wines of a higher level. Production is based on regulated varieties of berries, the drink must have a certain strength and meet certain organoleptic characteristics. The grapes used for this category are grown in a special area. The right to produce drinks in this category has 150 locations in France.
Appellation d'Origine Vin Delimite de Qualite Superieure (AOVDQS or VDQS) - high-quality vintage wines. Their production has strict regulations, and control is carried out by special organizations. All drinks belonging to the branded wine category meet a number of requirements:
- the production of the drink takes place in an area tied to a specific region;
- only a regulated grape variety is used;
- the processing method and the maximum level of yield of each hectare are determined;
- must meet all the rules of vinification, organoleptic requirements and have an established fortress.
Appellation d'origine controlee (AOC) - the highest classification of wines by category, named by origin and having more stringent requirements than AOVDQS. It takes into account the age of the vine used, the type of soil and the color of the resulting drink. The main role in the production is played by the "appellation", that is, the name, it guarantees the authenticity of the product. Remember all the appeals is difficult, because their number is constantly growing (more than 400), but the most prestigious AOC wines are French, each of them has a distinctive feature.
The remaining European winemaking cities in Europe, based on the French classification, created similar ones. Visual correlation is given in the table.
| France | Spain | Italy |
| Vin de table | Vino de mesa | Vino da tavola |
| Vin de pays | Vinos de las tierras | Indicazione Geografica Tipica |
| AOVDQS | DO (Denominacion de Origen) | Denominazione di origig controllata |
| Aoc | Denominacion de origen calificada | Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita |
Sugar Classification
Reds are often dry, so white wines are taken as a basis.
1. Sec - dry (less than 4 g / l).
2. Demi-sec - semi-dry (4-12 g / l).
3. Moelleux - semisweet (12-45 g / l).
4. Doux - sweet (more than 45 g / l).
For sparkling drinks: estra-brut (less than 4 g / l), brut (up to 15 g / l), extra-sec (12-20 g / l), sec (no more than 35 g / l), demi-sec (32 -55 g / l), doux (more than 55 g / l).
CO 2 content
Vin effervescent is a category of sparkling alcoholic beverages where the secondary breakdown of enzymes occurs in a bottle.
Vin mousseux gazeifie is a classification of effervescent wines where CO 2 is saturated by carbonation.
Vin petillant - sparkling wines, differ from others in low pressure of CO 2 in a bottle.
Vin perlant - pearl, with a low level of CO 2 content.
Vin tranquille - quiet wine drinks with an almost complete absence of CO 2 .
Process Classification
The most difficult form of separation of this drink, since each production has subtleties and differences. Despite this, experts were able to identify the following categories:
- Young wines, that is, not requiring aging.
- Aged in barrels or bottles for up to one year.
- Aged on their own lees. These include some varieties of white wines, using such technology they work in the Loire Valley.
- Liqueur wines produced by mutation, that is, adding alcohol or brandy to the non-fermented wort.
- Boiled wines, in particular those produced in French Provence. Production is based on continuous heating and evaporation of the wort. Boiled wine has a specific taste and contains a high level of sugar.
Classification by the shade of a wine drink
Wines are not always divided by color, sometimes they are classified by chemical composition. For example, did you know that there is champagne made from black grapes but having a white hue?
Red wines contain tannins (tannins), which are responsible for astringency and color pigments.
Rosé wines have not received the attention of critics, although their gamut of colors is very diverse: from weakly colored to saturated.
There is also green wine produced in Portugal, black (cahors) and yellow.
And now briefly consider the wine category DO.
What does DO mean
Spanish analogue of high-quality vintage wines (AOVDQS). The right to produce products for this category received more than 164 Spanish winegrowers.
La Mancha has the largest vineyard area for the production of the DO wine category - 188 181 ha. Their products have a pronounced woody shade and velvety taste.
A bit about white wine
Categories of white wines are usually divided into 6 varieties:
1. Dry wine of the light "body". As the sommelier says, it has a "steel" core. It has a reduced amount of sugar, but a high acid concentration, the percentage of alcohol does not exceed 12% and a slightly perceptible aroma. But experienced specialists claim that this type of white wine can sometimes have aroma and taste - it all depends on the grape variety used. For example, Sauvignon Blanc has grassy hues, and Riesling has fruity.
2. The aging period of white wine of the middle "body" is at least 3 years. It is produced from Chardonnay, Role and Chenin Blanc. The alcohol level is from 10 to 13%, and the taste and aroma are expressed in floral fruity notes.
3. Wine categories of the full “body” are usually aged in barrels for several years. They have a fruity aroma, low acidity and a large amount of tannins. Alcohol content from 12 to 14%.
4. Fragrant white wine drinks have a pronounced exotic fruity aroma. They are low acid with an alcohol level of 12-14%.
5. Semisweet wines are made from Moskatel, Tokai-Pino-Gris and Chenin Blanc grape varieties. Alcoholicity is 14%, and the drink is served in a form cooled to 10 0 C.
6. Sweet white wine drinks contain up to 18% alcohol, usually served with dessert. Famous representatives of the Sauternes and Barsac alcoholic drinks (France).
A few words about the sparkling drink
Sparkling wine is called a wine that contains carbon dioxide, created by a special technology. Their production is divided into 4 methods:
1. Carbonation. In the manufacture of low-quality drinks, the artificial introduction of CO 2 is used.
2. The method where the completion of the primary fermentation of alcohol occurs not in a barrel, but in a bottle, is called rural (methode rurale).
3. If the secondary decomposition of organic substances occurs in acratophores (special tanks made of metal), then wine production occurs according to the Sharm method.
4. The classic method - when the process of re-fermentation occurs in a bottle.
It is also worth mentioning that there are two special categories of sparkling wines: pearl and sparkling. The former contain the smallest amount of carbon dioxide, while the latter have a weak pressure in the bottle and a low strength (7%).
What dishes is served wine
High-quality wine, good food and pleasant company - this is the key to warm memories of dinner. The choice of co-workers is a private matter for everyone, and everyone should know what dishes are combined with wine.
You should start with the prohibitions, namely with food that is not recommended to be served with an alcoholic drink so as not to muffle its taste. Categorically it is impossible to serve dishes and appetizers seasoned with vinegar to wine.
Prohibitions include nuts. The fact is that, switching to the fetus, taste buds cease to respond to other ingredients and a wine drink.
The last ban applies to smoking. Tobacco smoke drowns out the aroma, and the taste of nicotine does not allow you to fully feel the wine.
Despite the many varieties, there is a rule regarding dishes: the more difficult the taste on the plate, the easier the wine drink in the glass, and vice versa.
Red goes well with savory meats, fruits, pasta, pizza, fish and a variety of cheeses.
White to taste is in perfect harmony with seafood, veal, poultry and caviar.
The element of pink wine is considered cold meats, seafood and desserts.
Semi-sweet and sweet varieties accompany ice cream, fruit and chocolate.
Sparkling drinks, namely champagne - the perfect drink to open a gala dinner.
Conclusion
If earlier this “divine drink” for you was divided into white, red, dry and fortified, you would like to hope that, armed with the information from this article, you will find out what categories of wines exist and you can not only read the name from the label, but also Recognize the grade and method of manufacture.