Wine basics

The history of wine is very rich, long and fascinating. It's always been present, starting from the beginning of human history, in the events of men and women from all over the world.
The word “wine” comes from the Sanskrit word vena (that means “to love”), from which derives also the Latin word Venus, that is the love goddess.

But, in practice, what is wine?
Wine is an alcoholic beverage often made of fermented grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients. Wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast which consume the sugars found in the grapes and convert them into alcohol. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are used depending on the types of wine being produced.

History of wine is very long and starts at the Dawn of mankind. In 1996, an American archaeological mission, coming from University of Pennsylvania, discovered, in the Neolithic village Hajji Firuz Tepe, in the northern part of Iran, a 9 liters terracotta jar, containing a dry substance, originated from grapes bunches. These finds date back to 5,100 b.C., that is 7,000 years ago. However, experts say that, probably, wine was produced for the first time about 9-10,0000 years ago in Caucasus zone. It seems that the first wine was produced by chance, for an accidental fermentation of grapes left in a container.

The Holy Bible (Genesis 9:20-27) attributes the discover of wine-making process to Noah: after the Flood, he planted a vineyard and it used its fruits to make wine, that made got him drunk.

The Roman empire gave a major boost to wine production. Wine is transformed from an elite product to a daily-used beverage. In this period, vineyards spread all over the empire territory; along with the increase of production, there's also a great increase of consumption. Anyway, wine produced in those days is a very different beverage from what we know today. Wine was a syrupy substance, very sweet and alcoholic. It was necessary to dilute it with water and to add other substances, like honey and spices, in order to obtain a more pleasant taste.

In the Middle Ages most of the wine cultivation and production techniques born and they go practically unchanged until the 18th century, when the production is quite “modern”. Glass bottles and corks are introduced for the first time.

In 20th century, starting from France, there's the introduction of laws and rules, with the goal to regulate the production (controlled origin, production territories, etc.). These rules cause an increase in the overall wine quality and a consequential decrease of the overall quantity.

[Some contents are taken from Wikipedia]