Abstract

The unmodified word Wine signifies the juice of grapes fermented by wine yeast and appropriately finished into an alcoholic beverage. Wine's complex composition, abundant types and styles, and elusive definition of quality represent a product that combines chemical technology and human culture like no other. The history of wine growing and making is intertwined with the development of western civilization while today the global wine industry makes a substantial contribution to modern value-added agriculture that has far-reaching impact on the economies of all winegrape-producing countries. Sensory evaluation and wine appreciation in addition to analytical quality control are key aspects of crafting and marketing this unique commodity. A wine's value depends much on its typicity, particular regional character, varietal diversity and vintage-to-vintage variation rather than on a standardization that is often sought in other food products. Internationally, wine production techniques, including grape processing, fermentation, maturation and aging, blending and stabilization, have become rather similar leaving the location, weather and climate of the vineyards to be the crucial factor for the quality of the bottled product. The wine industry and its viticultural and enological practices are tightly regulated and controlled in most countries, while moderate consumption of wine continues to play a vital role in human nutrition, health, well-being and social interaction.