Wine is an alcoholic beverage that has existed since ancient times, dating back to the pre-Christian era. But what exactly qualifies as true wine? At its core, true wine must be made from only one ingredient: 100% real grapes. Only then can it be correctly and confidently called "wine."

The Truth About Fruit Wines

Nowadays, many producers add other fruits or herbs to grape juice, resulting in what is known as "fruit wine," which is technically not considered true wine. For example, adding strawberries creates strawberry wine, while adding mulberries creates mulberry wine.

The main reasons for adding ingredients other than grapes are to reduce costs—since high-quality grapes can be expensive—and to benefit from lower tax rates when declared as "fruit-based alcoholic beverages." These products are often designed to appeal to local palates, offering a sweeter, highly fragrant, and easy-to-drink flavor profile.

Exploring Still Wines

Still wines are the most common category and can be divided into four main types.

Red Wine is made from dark-skinned grapes. The grape skins are soaked with the juice during fermentation to achieve the desired color. The wine is then aged in oak barrels, stainless steel tanks, or concrete vats for a duration ranging from several days to many years. Some wines even require additional bottle ageing before being sold.

White Wine is made from white or even dark grapes, but without any skin contact. Only pure grape juice is used. It is fermented at lower temperatures to slow down yeast activity and preserve delicate aromas.

Rosé Wine is made from dark grapes, but the skins are only soaked briefly to extract a light pink color (short maceration). It is then fermented at white wine temperatures.

Orange Wine is made exclusively from white grapes, but the skins are soaked with the juice to produce a light orange hue. Despite the name, it is not made from oranges.

Sparkling, Dessert, and Fortified Wines

Sparkling Wine production is highly complex, often requiring a second fermentation to produce its signature bubbles. However, styles like Asti and Ancestral generate bubbles through a single fermentation. The most well-known premium sparkling wines include Champagne (France), Crémant, Franciacorta (Italy), Cava (Spain), and Cap Classique (South Africa).

Dessert Wine is exceptionally sweet, containing over 100 grams of sugar per liter. Made from naturally sweet grapes like Moscato or through techniques like late harvest and botrytis (noble rot), these wines are the perfect companion for sweet treats.

Fortified Wine is wine with added alcohol. This can happen during fermentation (like Portuguese Port, resulting in a sweet, high-alcohol wine perfect with chocolate) or after fermentation is complete (like Spanish Fino Sherry, creating a dry, high-alcohol white wine ideal for tapas).

TIME2DRINK
Different Vibes for Your Moment

Understanding the different types of wine and how they are made helps you choose the bottle that best matches your taste preferences. Whether you are looking for a robust red or a celebratory sparkling wine, every glass has its own moment. Explore your vibe with TIME2DRINK.