Although details are understandably sketchy, it is believed that, around 6000 BC, grapes were being grown and wine was being made in Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq).

Mesopotamia and Egypt

Wine was popular with the pharaohs of ancient Egypt from about 3000 BC onwards. Inscriptions and illustrations of grape harvesting and wine making have been found in a number of tombs.

Many temples had vineyards attached to them and it is thought that wine was used for religious ritual purposes. However, as is still true today, the majority of Egyptian wine was produced in the Nile delta area.

Wine was stored in clay jars, as wooden barrels were unknown to the ancient Egyptians.

Greece

The exact date that winemaking started in Greece is unknown. However, the remains of a stone wine press, dating from around 1600BC, have been found at a villa in Crete. Wine consumption in ancient Greece had strong associations with the cult of the god, Dionysos. With the rise of Greek influence throughout the Mediterranean and Black Sea areas, vines were introduced to areas as far apart as Spain, France, Italy and Georgia. It is believed that a number of traditional southern Italian grape varieties (e.g. Aglianico) were introduced by the Greeks.

Roman Empire

The Romans continued the developments started by the Greeks. Wine was exported to all parts of the Roman Empire including France, Britain and the Rhineland area of Germany. Vineyards were also planted in many of these areas. The Romans documented different grape varieties and the types of soil that produced the highest yields. They also introduced wooden barrels and glass bottles to the wine trade, although these items didn’t completely replace clay amphorae for wine storage.

During the Dark Ages, vineyards were maintained by the monasteries as a source of communion wine. These wine producers laid the foundations for much of the modern wine industry throughout Europe.

A great place to start  wine appreciation is through an elementary understanding of the most popular grape varieties that go into each bottle of your favorite wines.

A little knowledge of each of the grapes main characteristics is often all you need to help you describe (and fully appreciate) the style, aroma and flavor of a huge variety of wines from around the world.

I’ve split this into 3 bite sized portions.

Red Grape Varieties

White Grape Varieties

Less Well Known Grape Varieties

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Wine, at its simplest, is just fermented grape juice. However, in today’s world, where product quality and uniformity are so important to consumers, things have become a little more complicated.

Stages in Winemaking

The processes involved in mass-producing wine in a modern (new technology) winery follow a remarkably consistent pattern, wherever they are carried out:

Grapes are picked (usually mechanically), taken to the winery and then loaded into a crusher. This device contains a rotating perforated cylinder that allows the grape pulp to be pumped out through a heat exchanger to keep it cool, but prevents any leaves and stems (which would add a bitter taste) getting into the “must”.

The pulp is then pumped into a press, where the juice is gently squeezed out, ensuring that the pips are not crushed (which would also impart a bitter flavor).

The juice is allowed to settle before being pumped into a fermentation tank where yeast is added. The fermentation process is carried out under strict temperature control (usually at around 15º-17ºC) until fermentation is complete.

The fermented “must” (i.e. the wine) is then transferred to a storage tank, prior to bottling.
In most cases, the wine is filtered immediately before bottling.

The production of red wine follows a similar course, but with a few minor differences:

The second stage in the process (after crushing) is delayed to allow the red color from the grape skins to permeate the “must” before pressing takes place.

If an oaky flavor is required, after fermentation, the wine is stored in oak barrels or a storage tank containing oak chippings and aged for as long as is required to obtain the desired flavor, before bottling.

Although minor variations occur between wineries, keeping potentially harmful bacteria away from the wine at critical times is the aim of all winemakers, so that consistency of product can be maintained as far as is possible.