This document provides information on the classification and production of alcoholic beverages and wines. It discusses that alcoholic beverages contain 1-75% ethyl alcohol and wines are classified based on color, taste, and content. Wine production involves fermenting grape juice to produce wine, with factors like grape variety, terroir, and winemaking techniques influencing the character of the wine. The document then goes into detail on the historical development and production processes for different wine styles like still table wines and sparkling wines.

1. AlcoholicBeverage:
Anypotable liquidcontainingfrom1% to 75 % of ethyl alcohol byvolume isknownasanalcoholic
beverage
Classificationofbeverage:
WINES
Historical Background
Wine is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting the juice of freshly gathered grapes. There are
over 4000 varieties of grapes, however, only 40 of them have a recognizable flavour. Wine is
made from wine grape, botanic name VitisVinefera, in Europe. Other vine species such as
VitisLabrusca, VitisRupestris, VitisRiparia, VitisBerlandieri are all species found in America
and form the foundation of American rootstock to which the grafts are attached. Its life spans
much the same as for man. The grape vine yields fruit of varying quality and quantity throughout
its life given good conditions and in area free from pests and diseases.

2. Virtually all the wine producing areas of the world is located between 30º - 50º latitude in both
hemispheres. Ancient civilisation and their recorded histories were established in the northern
hemisphere so it is referred as ‘ Old world’, this includes countries such as France, Italy, Spain,
Portugal, and Germany. ‘New world’ refers to those countries that were discovered and
colonised after 15th century, this would include Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and
America.
Art of wine making was developed by the ancient Greeks and Romans, they were the ones
responsible for spreading it to Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany and Central Europe. The
Romans established all the vineyards in the old world.
Spaniards and Portuguese dominated the colonisation of new world in Southern hemisphere,
taking with them in their ships all that was needed to set up their new homes, including seeds and
vines for planting.
Vineyards were well established in South America by early 1500’s and commercial wine was
being exported to other parts of South and Central America such as Peru, Mexico, Chile and
Argentina by 1600.
The Spanish colonisers were responsible for setting up vineyards in North America and upwards
on the Pacific coast in what is now California.
The Dutch traders and seafarers used their Dutch East Indies fleet to explore, settle and trade in
Africa. They also were the ones to set up vineyards in Africa in early 1600.
It was in the 18th century that the British who colonised in Australia and New Zealand introduced
the art of winemaking. Australian vineyards were productive by the end of 1700’s.
TERROIR
A " terroir " is a group of vineyards (or evenvines), belonging to a specific appellation, and
sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making technology,
which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine.
• Region
• Climate, soil and terrain
• Grape variety – Size, Skin & Sugar content
• Method of cultivation – ‘viticulture’
• Yeast and fermentation
• Method of wine making – ‘vinification’

3. • Ageing and maturing process
• Bottling and storage
WINE BASICS
SWEETNESS
Sweetness in wine comes from the presence of residual sugar.
The perception of sweetness is also affected by the acidity, fruitiness and the alcohol level of the
wine. Wines vary in perceived sweetness and generally fit in the following
Categories:
Dry--no perceived sweetness
Off dry--a hint of sweetness
Slightly sweet
Medium sweet
Sweet
TANNIN
Tannin gives red wine its mouth-puckering quality and occasionally some bitterness; but it also
allows red wine to age and improve over time.
Tannin content varies with grape variety and wine style.
Young red wines high in tannin are aggressive on the palate. As wine ages, the tannins soften
and the astringency is diminished.
Low tannin--white wines, rosé and light reds
Medium tannin--medium to full-bodied red wines
High tannin--big, robust red wines
ACIDITY
Acidity gives wine its zest or liveliness and balances sweetness.
Wines vary in the type and amount of acids present and generally fit in the following categories:

4. Low acid--having a flat or dull taste
Correct acid--lively, fresh, crisp taste
High acid--harsh, green, aggressive taste
BALANCE
Balance in wine comes from the interaction of various components.
The correct proportions of these components are important if the wine is to be harmonious.
Acid and sweetness balance each other so that the wine is not too sharp or cloyingly sweet.
Alcohol and fruit balance tannin and tone down its harshness.
Balance does not mean that one component cancels the other out.
Many wines are made so that certain components are highlighted. This may be the regional style
or the expression of the winemaker.
BODY
Body in wine comes from the extract of grape solids and the percent of alcohol.
The perception of body or weight is felt throughout the mouth.
Wines vary in body and can generally be categorized as one of the following:
Light body
Medium body
Full body
Factors affecting the quality of wine
There are many factors that determine the quality of wine. The same grape grown in same area
can make two totally different wines, yet different grapes grown apart can produce wines that are
very similar. A term commonly used to describe these factors is ‘terroir’, which is a group of
vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing
the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making technology, which contribute
to give its specific personality to the wine.
Among many factors responsible for quality of wine, some of the very important ones are:

5. • Nature of soil and sub soil of that area
• Climate and micro climate
• Wine family and grape species
• Method of cultivation
• Chemical composition of grape
• Yeast and fermentation
• Method of wine making
• Luck of the year
• Ageing and maturation
• Method of shipping and transportation
• Storage temperature
Grape Variety
Study of wines is called Oenology and science of growing grapes is called Viticulture. The
grape variety used to make a wine is the single most important and influential factor determining
its taste. Within the grape is the pulp; the internal flesh of the grape mostly consists of water,
sugar, acids and other material, mostly minerals obtained from the soil.
DefinitionOfWine:
Wine isan alcoholicbeverageobtainedfromthe fermented juice of freshly harvestedgrapes.Itis
preparedfrombothwhite andredgrapes.There are manyvarietiesof grapesproducedandnotall of
themare usedinthe productionof wine.The colour,flavorandAromaof the wine are largely
influencedbythe type of grapesusedinthe production.
ClassificationofWine
Wine isclassifiedonthe basisof the followingfactors:
 Colour
 Taste
 Content

6. Colour : White wine,Redwine,Rosé wine,Blushwine
Taste : Dry wine,Sweetwine,Mediumwine
Content: Still wine,Sparklingwine,Fortifiedwine, Aromatizedwine,Tonic wine
Colour:
Wine isclassifies accordingtocolour,suchas white wine,redwine,rosewineandblushwine.
White wine:
White wine is a wine whose color can be straw-yellow, yellow-green, or yellow-gold coloured. It is
produced by the alcoholic fermentation of the non-colored pulp of grapes which may have a white or
black skin,the skin of the grapes must be removed soon after crushing,to prevent the must,taking on the
colour from the pigments present in the skin.
Redwine:
The colourof redwine rangesfrompurple whenyoungandtobrick red as itages.It is produced
fromred grapes.The skinisallowedtoremainwiththe fermentingmusteitherthroughoutthe process
or half way through.The colouringpigmentspresentinthe skingive colourtothe wine.
Rose wine:
Thiswine is lightpinkincolourwhichisproducedfromthe mixture of white andredgrapesor only
formred grapes.The skinof the blackgrapesis allowedtoremainincontactwiththe must,till the
requiredtinge isobtained.Ittakesabout24 to 36 hoursdependingonthe intensityof rose colour
required.Once the requiredcolourisobtainedthe skinisremoved.
Blush wine:
It isnew style of rose wine developedinCalifornia,USA.Skinsof blackgrapesare allowedtomacerate
withthe mustfor a veryshort periodwhichproducesaverylightpinkcolouredwine.
Taste
Accordingto the taste,wine isclassifiedinto dry,mediumandsweet.
Dry wine:
It is producedwhenall the sugarisconvertedinto alcohol.
Sweetwine:
It is obtainedwhenthere issome sugarleftafterfermentation,stopped naturallyorintentionallybythe
manufacturer.
Medium:
It is neithertoodrynor toosweet.Ithas traces of sugar leftafterthe fermentation.

7. Content
Based on the content of the wine ,wine is classified as still, sparkling,fortified
aromatized and tonic wine.
Still wine: Itis kind of wine obtained by the natural fermentation process with
out adding anything else.The carbondioxide(co2) produced during fermentation
is allowed to escape.This type of wine is also termed as table wines. The alcoholic
content is 10-14 percentabv.
 Sparking wine – the sparkling comes from the carbon dioxide in the wine, the most famous
one being Champagne, but only sparkling wine made in the champagne region of France can
be called champagne.
 Fortified wines – are those wines which are strengthened by the addition of alcohol, usually
a grape spirit. Their alcohol strength varies from 15%-22%, by volume. The famous ones
being Port, Sherry, Madeira and Marsala.
 Aromatised wines – as the term suggests it is flavoured wine. The flavourings range from
herbs, fruit peels, fruit extracts, quinine. Examples: Vermouth (wormwood), Dubonnet (herbs
and quinine), Lillet (herbs, fruit peel and fortified with brandy)

8. Making of Table wine:
Harvesting: Knowing when to pick the grape is very important and critical thing for the
winemaker. The vintage is made by the weather. Therefore, the decision when to pick depends
on the weather; white wines generally need high acidity therefore should be picked early vis a vis
black grapes which is generally picked later when it has achieved a balance in colour and sugar
content. Before the harvest, winemakers spend a lot of time in the vineyard sampling the grapes,
checking sugar content with refractometer.
Harvesting can be done manually as well as mechanically. Manual harvest ensures quality of
grapes however, is a time consuming and labour intensive process. On the other hand mechanical
harvest is a fairly quick and inexpensive process however, desired quality of grapes might not be
achieved.
Grading: Grapes are graded according to quality
Weighing: The ripe grapes are weighed ,to determine the quantity required for fermentation
Crushing : Grape’s are crushed to yield must [fresh grape juice] by four methods.
• Troddening
• Balloon press
• Manual press
• Electrically operated press
Sulphuring: Sulphurdioxide is added fairly early in the fermentation process to prevent air from
oxidizing the juice and converting the alcohol in to vinegar.The air has bacteria, principally
acetobacter,which is “aerobic”, i.e it is alive in the presence of oxygen. These acetobacters can
convert alcohol in to vinegar.sulphur dioxide,being hungry for oxygen,takes up the oxygen from
the must to let the wine yeast which is anaerobic(able to work in the absence of oxygen) to
covert the grape sugar in to alcohol. Sulphurdioxide also forms a coating on the surface of the
juice to prevent the air from entering the juice and there by letting the wine yeast to do its work.
Fermentation
The process of fermentation takes 3- 4 days, and is result of action of yeast on grape
sugar. From white grape white wine is obtained, and from black grapes white and red wine is
obtained. The skin of grape contain the pigments therefore if the skin are removed from must
before fermentation white wine is obtained .If allowed to remain in the must for a short time
usually a few hours a rose wine is obtained. If the skin is removed after the fermentation is over
than red wine is obtain.

9. Cellaring and Second pressing: once fermentation is complete the “running wine “ is run off in
to casks for maturing. The casks are filled to the full to exclude air.The filled casks are put in
cellars for the wine to mature.This is called cellaring.
The residue of pips and skin left in the fermentation tank or vat is
sent for further pressing and the resultant juice , called vin de presse is rich in tannin.the wine
maker may decide whether to add second pressed juice to First pressed juice.
Racking
The process of removing pulp and yeast particle from wine is called racking .the wine are
kept in a oak cask with no air on top air oxidizes wine into vinegar .The wine is kept in the cask
for a month to allow the solid to settle at the bottom of the cask after which it is put into another
cask. The process is then repeated 3-4 times so racking can take around 3 to 4 months.
Fining and Filteration:
– Egg albumen (using stiffly beaten egg white)
– Icing glass derived from bladder of a sturgeon.
– Bentonite clay
– Blue icing glass (special permission has to obtain from the appellation d origin
controlee. It is used to remove traces of toxic copper oxide from the grape) these
material has clinging power, they attract particle in the wine which then settle in
the bottom after which the clear wine is siphoned off.
The wine may then passed through fine filters.
Refrigeration :
The young wine is pumped in to refrigeration unit to stabilize the wine and to avoid bacterial
attack.
Maturing
Maturing once the wine is clear and free of impurities, it is filled in black oak cask and
kept for maturing period varies for different kind of wine. Maturing makes the red wine
mellow and smooth and remove harshness. The oak wood is porous and allows enough
air into the wine to make it mellow but not enough air to oxidize the wine into vinegar.
The wine also get’s the colour from the oak cask being repeatedly used become seasoned
and after certain period of time stop giving colour to wine.
Red wines are usually matured for 3to 6 month and best when consumed young. Red
wine can also be matured for long years.

10. Blending, Bottling
Blending: wine is blended with other wine to get the colour, taste and character. Vintage
wine are never blended .Crusted port is an exception of a vintage wine. Blending is done
of wines from different vineyards and different years.This process ensures a consistent
quality.
Bottling :Red wine is bottled in a dark colour bottle .Maturing stops or lessen when the
wine is bottled. Wooden cork are made from a tree known as QUERECUS SUBER . The
wood of this tree is porous so that the air can go in and out of the bottle.
Pasteurization: Pasteurization is the process to age the wine and free the wine from
further fermentation.The wine bottles are immersed upright in double boilers with
water,heated to temperatures between 180 and 190 degrees of Fahrenheit . The
immersion is for 1-2 mins.
Aging of Wines: wine is aged in bottles .The period of aging may differ from house to
house .For Example Bordeaux and Burgundy wines are aged for 3-4 years while Chablis
is aged for 18 months.
Manufacturing of Sparkling wines:
Sparkling wines among which champagne is universally accepted as the finest ,have a
distinct preparation process.
Harvesting: Knowing when to pick the grape is very important and critical thing for the
winemaker. The vintage is made by the weather. Therefore, the decision when to pick depends
on the weather; white wines generally need high acidity therefore should be picked early vis a vis
black grapes which is generally picked later when it has achieved a balance in colour and sugar
content. Before the harvest, winemakers spend a lot of time in the vineyard sampling the grapes,
checking sugar content with refractometer.
Harvesting can be done manually as well as mechanically. Manual harvest ensures quality of
grapes however, is a time consuming and labour intensive process. On the other hand mechanical
harvest is a fairly quick and inexpensive process however, desired quality of grapes might not be
achieved.
Grading: Grapes are graded according to quality
Weighing: The ripe grapes are weighed ,to determine the quantity required for fermentation
Crushing : Grape’s are crushed to yield must [fresh grape juice] by four methods.

11. • Troddening
• Balloon press
• Manual press
• Electrically operated press
Sulphuring: Sulphurdioxide is added fairly early in the fermentation process to prevent air from
oxidizing the juice and converting the alcohol in to vinegar.The air has bacteria, principally
acetobacter,which is “aerobic”, i.e it is alive in the presence of oxygen. These acetobacters can
convert alcohol in to vinegar.sulphur dioxide,being hungry for oxygen,takes up the oxygen from
the must to let the wine yeast which is anaerobic(able to work in the absence of oxygen) to
covert the grape sugar in to alcohol. Sulphurdioxide also forms a coating on the surface of the
juice to prevent the air from entering the juice and there by letting the wine yeast to do its work.
Fermentation
The process of fermentation takes 3- 4 days, and is result of action of yeast on grape
sugar. From white grape white wine is obtained, and from black grapes white and red wine is
obtained. The skin of grape contain the pigments therefore if the skin are removed from must
before fermentation white wine is obtained .If allowed to remain in the must for a short time
usually a few hours a rose wine is obtained. If the skin is removed after the fermentation is over
than red wine is obtain.
Cellaring and Second pressing: once fermentation is complete the “running wine “ is run off in
to casks for maturing. The casks are filled to the full to exclude air.The filled casks are put in
cellars for the wine to mature.This is called cellaring.
The residue of pips and skin left in the fermentation tank or vat is
sent for further pressing and the resultant juice , called vin de presse is rich in tannin.the wine
maker may decide whether to add second pressed juice to First pressed juice.
Racking
The process of removing pulp and yeast particle from wine is called racking .the wine are
kept in a oak cask with no air on top air oxidizes wine into vinegar .The wine is kept in the cask
for a month to allow the solid to settle at the bottom of the cask after which it is put into another
cask. The process is then repeated 3-4 times so racking can take around 3 to 4 months.
Fining and Filteration:
– Egg albumen (using stiffly beaten egg white)
– Icing glass derived from bladder of a sturgeon.

12. – Bentonite clay
– Blue icing glass (special permission has to obtain from the appellation d origin
controlee. It is used to remove traces of toxic copper oxide from the grape) these
material has clinging power, they attract particle in the wine which then settle in
the bottom after which the clear wine is siphoned off.
The wine may then passed through fine filters.
Refrigeration :
The young wine is pumped in to refrigeration unit to stabilize the wine and to avoid bacterial
attack..
Blending, Bottling
Blending: After the primary fermentation,wines of different vineyards and varying
qualities are blended to form cuvee.or store of wine.
Bottling : The base wine is bottled in champagne bottles stoutly made to contain the gas
pressure of up to 90 lbs per square inch which develops during the secondary
fermentation. At this stage sugar and yeast is added to the wine .A cork which is larger in
diameter than the the mouth of the bottle is squeezed to shut the bottle and is secured
with a steel wire clip called an agrafe.
Secondary fermentation- Bestcarried outat 10-12º C and takes6-8 months.The yeastturnsthe sugar
intoalcohol andcarbon dioxide, whichdissolvesintothe wine thuscreatingadesiredstreamof bubbles
calledthe mousse.A longslowfermentationproducesaveryfine andlastingmousse.
Ageing- The bestwinesare agedfor 3-5 years,butthe legal requirementisone year.Duringthis time
the alcohol reactswithacids toproduce sweetsmellingesters,whichgive fine Champagne itsexquisite
bouquet.
Remuage/ Riddling- The bottlesare placedinracks withoval holescalled pupitre,theirnecksbeing
tiltedslightlydownwards.The remuergraspsthe bottomof the bottle andgivesita slightshake,turns
and tilts.Thishappenstoeachbottle everythree daysforaboutsix weeksandatthe endof thistime
the bottleswill be standingverticallywiththeirnecksdownandthe sedimentdown ontothe cork.
Degorgement- The neckof the bottle isdippedinafreezingbrine solution,formingasmall blockof ice
at the neck.The pressure builtupinthe bottle expelsthe ice whenthe capisremoved.
Dosage - A dosage isaddedtotop up eachbottle andgive the champagne the desiredsweetness.The
dosage isalsocalled liqueurd’expedition, anditisa mixture of wine andcane sugar.
Recorking - A compoundcork of three sectionsiswireddowntoresistthe pressure of CO2.

13. Shaking - Thisisdone to distribute the dosage evenly
Resting- A wine isrestedagainfor4-6 months.
Packaging - Bottlesare cleaned,labelledanddispatched.