Wine - 2

Wines, or the grapes they are made from, obtain their distinctive characteristics as a result of ‘terroir’  a concept which includes the geographic location, climate, soil type, sun exposure, altitude, and irrigation. Grapes do not ripen as so readily in cooler regions. That means that wines from cooler growing areas produce wines that are light-bodied and quite acidic. (Acidity depends a lot on the soil in which the vines are planted.) Wines made from grapes that grow in warmer, southern regions tend to be full-bodied; and consequently with less acidity. THE SPECIFIC VARIETY OF THE GRAPE, the condition of the grapes when they are picked, the age of the vines, the methods of control of the fermentation process, and the traditional or modern techniques used in the production process as a whole play a huge role in determining the final quality of the wine. Many of these techniques have not yet been mastered by the Chinese. This is why the wines of China are still under development. The best ones these days are often not from France or Italy but the New World: Australia in particular. California also makes some really respectable wines; while Georgia is the un crowned Queen of Wine, and the country where the whole idea of wine was – according to legend – invented.