Wine is more than just fermented grape juice, it is part of our culture of enjoyment. In a shortened version of our wine school, we explain wine to anyone who wants to learn the most important things about wine in a few minutes, for example because they work with wine in gastronomy.

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grape juice. This is a short and precise definition of wine as a beverage. However, this definition does not reflect the pleasure that good wine gives to the connoisseur. Because its more than just a drink. It is the most complex luxury food in the world. But twenty minutes is enough to acquire some basic knowledge, which will allow you to further deal with the topic independently. Together with our partner SELTERS, we have created two videos of approximately 10 minutes that convey this basic knowledge about wine. We especially take into account the needs of young people who work as part-timers or junior employees in the hospitality industry. If you fancy another wine, we recommend our complete wine school.

Grape wine

Wine generally refers to wines made from grapes. Cider, plum or other fruit wines are specifically named as such. To make wine, ripe grapes are pressed and the juice (here called must) is fermented using yeast. White wine is usually made this way. For rosé and red wine, the winemaker (the combined profession is called a winemaker) crushes the dark blue grapes and lets the mixture of juice, seeds, pulp and skins stand for a while. In doing so, pigments are released from the skins of the grapes and color the juice first pink, then red. Depending on when the winemaker squeezes out the juice, it can then be "pressed" into rosé or red wine (as is the technical term for making wine from must).

When the must has finished fermenting, the winemaker filters it to remove the yeast and then adds some sulfur dioxide. This protects the wine from oxidation and makes it more durable. And then it will be fulfilled. This is the method for 99% of all commercially available wines. In the world of wine, however, it is true to the extreme: there are no rules without exceptions.

 

The taste of the wine: the grape variety decides

Although there are really only two different ways of making wine, there are still tens of thousands of different ones on the shelves of supermarkets and wine shops. why is that? This is mainly because there are different types of grapes which are called grape varieties.

These grape varieties grow in different conditions, for example some prefer rather cool areas like Germany, others like the hot sun of Sicily. Their grapes taste different and differ significantly in properties such as acidity, maximum sugar content and others. This is why the wines produced from them taste very different.

 

Types of wines

All these wines can be roughly divided into categories – three white and four red. In the case of whites, they are pale bottles, medium-weight wines from classic grape varieties and heavy, full-bodied wines, often aged in small wooden barrels, which excel above all as an accompaniment to food. There are also pints of red wine. According to this, not only the heaviness is distinguished, but also the content of tannins. Tannins, especially tannin, are the substances released from the skins in addition to the color, which ensure that red wine makes the tongue "hairy". The second red category is "silky" rather lean wines. Then comes full-bodied, fruity and, as the last category, long-lived red wines rich in tannins.

Enjoy wine without the fuss

But practice is more important than theory. Because wine is a complex drink, it pays to enjoy it with all the senses. This starts with suitable drinking vessels. Wine belongs in a wine glass. It doesnt have to be expensive, but it should be bulky. White wine should be clearly chilled, red slightly chilled. The famous room temperature for red wine is actually 18 degrees. The wine glass is filled to its widest point. Then even an inexperienced wine lover will first smell the glass. This will prepare us for the flavors. You dont need to do it before every sip, just once.

With good wines - and everyone decides for themselves what is good - its fun to smell the glass again later. Then comes the first sip. It shouldnt be as big as a sip of water, more like a sip of coffee. Then you should move the wine a little with your mouth. This is also unobtrusive. Then swallow it. Good wines reverberate, and you can pay some attention to that reverberation.