Wine making has been carried out in one form or another for thousands of years with pottery jars found in Persia (present day Iran) dating as far back as 5,500 BC displaying evidence of grapes use for winemaking. Additionally, jars from Jiahu in China dated to somewhere between 6000 and 7000 BC have also been found containing wine made from wild grapes.
But whether we are considering ancient or modern wine making, a number of the same conditions apply and similar techniques are used because the chemistry of the grape is an everlasting quality.
With a few notable exceptions the grapes used in wine making grow only only between latitudes 30-50 degrees North and 30-45 degrees South of the equator. As opposed to many other crops, grapes do not require a particularly fertile soil and it should be noted that a thinner soil frequently results in a small crop but also frequently produces higher quality grapes.
Surprisingly, soils which are rich in nitrogen and other nutrients (conditions which are normally highly beneficial for the majority of plants) can produce grapes which are not suitable for winemaking. Such grapes are often excellent for eating, but lack the desirable amounts of minerals, acids and sugars for winemaking.
Without doubt, the finest wines come from soils which would be thought of as poor quality for other agricultural purposes. The stellar wines from Bordeaux, for example, are made from grapes grown in gravelly soil, on a base of chalk or clay. The crop here is small, but the quality of the grapes produced is high. In this instance the pebbly soil permits good drainage, which is vital as vines require adequate but not excessive water, but the conditions also force the roots to penetrate deep into the earth where they absorb a range of complex minerals.
Vineyards are also frequently found along river valleys, with slopes providing abundant sunshine. Vines in these circumstances are frequently of the European species vitis vinifera, from which various well known wines are made, like Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.
Viticulture, the term used for the practice of grape growing for winemaking, is one of the most complicated agricultural undertakings today. A master vintner (nowadays, sometimes referred to as an oenologist), must be an expert in a wide range of subjects including soil chemistry, fermentation, climatology and several other ancient arts and modern sciences.
As well as categorization by variety, wines are also classified by vinification methods (sparkling, still, fortified, ros�, blush), by region (Alsace, Burgundy, Bordeaux etc.), by vintage and by a dozen other methods.
As soon as the farmer, chemist and manufacturer have finished their job, the businessman then takes the stage and today wine is certainly very big business. Wine sales in the US alone run to over 600 million gallons, representing over $20 billion in consumer spending. Perhaps not surprisingly France is the world leader when it comes to exports with 22% of world export volume, with Italy following close behind.
At the end of the day however, no matter how big a business wine making has become, it is still very much a balance of science, art and business and winemaking is most certainly not a business venture to be undertaken by anybody of a timid disposition.
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