Classification of wine

By vinification methods

Dark purple wine grapes on the vine

Wines may be classified by vinification methods. These include classifications such as sparkling, still, fortified, rosé, and blush. The colour of wine is not determined by the juice of the grape, which is almost always clear, but rather by the presence or absence of the grape skin during fermentation. Grapes with colored juice are known as teinturiers, such as alicante bouchet. Red wine is made from red (or black) grapes, but its red colour is bestowed by the skin being left in contact with the juice during fermentation. White wine can be made from any colour of grape as the skin is separated from the juice during fermentation. A white wine made from a very dark grape may appear pink or 'blush'. Rosé wines are a compromise between reds and whites: a small amount of red wine is blended with a white wine. In sparkling wines, a form of Rosé is called Blanc de Noir where the juice of red grapes are allowed contact with the skins for a very short time (usually only a couple of hours).

Sparkling wines, such as champagne, are those with carbon dioxide, either from fermentation or added later. They vary from just a slight bubbliness to the classic Champagne. To have this effect, the wine is fermented twice, once in an open container to allow the carbon dioxide to escape into the air, and a second time in a sealed container, where the gas is caught and remains in the wine. Sparkling wines that gain their carbonation from the traditional method of bottle fermentation are called Méthode Traditionnelle or 'Methode Champanoise'. Other international denominations of sparkling wine include Sekt or Schaumwein (Germany), Cava (Spain), Spumante or Prosecco (Italy). In most countries except the United States, champagne is legally defined as sparkling wine originating from a region in France.

Fortified wines are often sweeter, always more alcoholic wines that have had their fermentation process stopped by the addition of a spirit, such as brandy.

Brandy is a distilled wine. Grappa is a dry colorless brandy, distilled from fermented grape pomace, the pulpy residue of grapes, stems and seeds that were pressed for the winemaking process.

By taste

Wines may be also classified by their primary impression on the drinker's palate. They are made up of chemical compounds which are similar to those in fruits, vegetables, and spices. Different grape varieties are associated with the aromas and tastes of different compounds. Wines may be described as 'dry' (meaning they are without obvious sugar), off-dry, fruity, or sweet, for example. The sugar content of grapes can be measured in brix, at harvest, and this determines the combined level of alcohol and residual sugar (in the absence of chaptalisation). Sweetness is in actuality determined by the amount of residual sugar in the wine after fermentation, relative to the acidity present in the wine. Dry wine, for example, has only a tiny amount of residual sugar. Specific flavors may also be sensed, at least by an experienced taster, due to the highly complex mix of organic molecules, such as esters, that a fully vinted wine contains.

Red grapes Cabernet Franc: tobacco, green bell pepper, raspberry, new-mown grass. Cabernet Sauvignon: blackcurrants, chocolate, mint, tobacco. Gamay: banana, bubble-gum, red fruits. Grenache: smoky, pepper, raspberry. Merlot: black cherry, plums, pepper, coffee. Mourvèdre: thyme, clove, cinnamon, black pepper, violet, blackberry. Nebbiolo: leather, tar, stewed prunes, chocolate, liquorice, roses. Norton: red fruit, elderberries. Petite Sirah (Durif): earthy, black pepper, dark fruits. Pinot Noir: raspberry, cherry, violets, "farmyard" (with age), truffles. Pinotage: banana, bramble fruits. Sangiovese: herbs, black cherry, leathery, earthy. Syrah (Shiraz): tobacco, black pepper, blackberry, smoke. Tempranillo: vanilla, strawberry, tobacco. Teroldego: spices, chocolate, red Fruits Zinfandel: black cherry, pepper, mixed spices, mint.

White grapes Chardonnay: butter, melon, apple, pineapple, vanilla (if oaked, i.e. vinified in new oak aging barrels) Chenin Blanc: wet wood, beeswax, honey, apple, almond. Gewürztraminer: rose petals, lychee, spice. Grüner Veltliner: green apples, citrus Marsanne: almond, honeysuckle, marzipan. Riesling: citrus fruits, peach, honey. Sauvignon Blanc: gooseberry, lime, asparagus, cut grass, bell pepper. Sémillon: honey, orange, lime. Viognier: peach, pear, nutmeg, apricot.

By vintage

Wines may be classified by the year in which the grapes are harvested, known as the "vintage". "Vintage wines" are made from grapes of a single year's harvest, and are accordingly dated. These wines often improve in flavor as they age, and wine enthusiasts will occasionally save bottles of a favorite vintage wine for future consumption.

For most types of wine, the best-quality grapes and the most care in wine-making are employed on vintage wines. They are therefore more expensive than non-vintage wines. Whilst vintage wines are generally made in a single batch so that each and every bottle will have a similar taste, climatic factors can have a dramatic impact on the character of a wine to the extent that different vintages from the same vineyard can vary dramatically in flavor and quality.

Superior vintages, from reputable producers and regions, will often fetch much higher prices than their average vintages. Some vintage wines are only made in better-than-average years. Conversely, wines such as White Zinfandel, which don't age well, are made to be drunk immediately and may not be labeled with a vintage year. There are exceptions though. French Champagne is often non-vintage, but still expensive. It can sometimes profit from aging 2-3 years and some Prestige Cuvées even much longer.

By wine style

Red wines Amarone: Italy Barbaresco: Italy Barolo: Italy Brancellao: Spain Brunello di Montalcino: Italy Beaujolais: France Bobal: Spain Bordeaux: France Burgundy: France Cabernet Sauvignon: France, Australia, California, Romania, Moldova, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Venezuela Cannonau: Italy Carmenere: Chile Cencibel: Spain Chianti: Italy Dimyat: Bulgaria Feteasca Neagra: Romania Feteasca Regala: Romania Garnacha aka Grenache aka Cannonau: France, Spain, South America, Australia, and California. Gumza: Bulgaria Kagor: Moldova Mavrodafni: Greece Mavrud: Bulgaria Mazuela: Spain Malbec: Argentina, France Melnik: Bulgaria Merlot: France, California, Chile, Italy, Romania, Moldova, South Africa, Washington, Venezuela, Australia Mirodia Red: Moldova Monastrell: Spain Nosiola: Norton: Eastern and Midwestern United States Pamid: Bulgaria Petite Syrah: California Pinot meunier: Pinot Noir: France, California, New Zealand, Oregon, Romania, Moldova, South Africa, Australia Pinotage: South Africa, Zimbabwe, New Zealand Rioja: Spain Syrah/Shiraz: France (N.Rhône), Australia, California, South Africa, Venezuela Tempranillo: Spain, Venezuela Timorasso: Trollinger: Germany Valpolicella: Italy Zinfandel: California Sparkling red wines Syrah/Shiraz: Australia Cabernet Sauvignon: Australia Lambrusco: Italy Soleras wines Marsala: Italy Moscatel: Portugal Palomino (grape used in Sherry): Spain Pedro Ximénez: Spain Porto: Portugal, South Africa ("port style", EU regulations forbid "port(o)" on labels)

White wines Airén: Spain Albillo: Spain Aleasa Dulce: Moldova Chardonnay: France, California, Germany, Australia, Romania, Moldova, New Zealand, South Africa Chablis: France Chenin Blanc: France, South Africa, Venezuela Doña Blanca: Spain Feteasca Alba: Romania, Moldova Frascati: Italy Gewürztraminer: France (Alsace), Romania, Germany, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia Goldmuskateller: Grasa de Cotnari: Romania Kerner: Macabeo: Spain Malvasía: Italy Meursault: France Mirodia White: Moldova Misket: Bulgaria Moscatel: Spain, Venezuela Müller-Thurgau: Germany, Northern Italy, England Muscat: Romania, Moldova, Australia, South Africa Orvieto: Italy Retsina: Greece Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio/Grauburgunder: France, Romania, Italy, Germany, Oregon Pedro Ximénez: Spain Pouilly-Fuissé: France Riesling: France (Alsace), Romania, Germany, New Zealand, Australia Sauvignon Blanc: France, California, New Zealand, Romania, Moldova, South Africa, Venezuela, Australia Semillon: France, Australia, South Africa, Venezuela Silvaner: Germany Soave: Italy Tamaioasa Romaneasca: Romania Tokaji: Hungary, Part of Slovakia Torrontés: Spain, Argentina Traminer: Romania, Moldova, Australia Verdicchio dei castelli di Jesi: Italy Sparkling white wines Champagne: France Vin Spumos (Zarea):Romania Asti spumante: Italy Franciacorta: Italy Prosecco: Italy Cava: Spain Txacolí: Spain Sekt: Germany Pink wines Rosé: Australia, France, Portugal, Spain, United States, South Africa Busuioaca de Bohotin: Romania

By quality

Gold lettering on collectible Sydney Opera House wine

At the highest end, rare, super-premium wines are amongst the most expensive of all foodstuffs, and outstanding vintages from the best vineyards may sell for thousands of dollars per bottle. Red wines, at least partly because of their ability to form more complex subtleties, are typically more expensive. Some of the most expensive come from Bordeaux and Burgundy. However, some white dessert wines like German trockenbeerenauslese or French Sauternes for example, cost hundreds of dollars for a half bottle. Such premium wines are often at their best years or even decades after bottling. On the other hand, they may spoil after such long storage periods, unbeknownst to the drinker about to open the bottle. Part of the expense associated with high-end wine comes from the number of bottles which must be discarded in order to produce a drinkable wine. Restaurants will often charge between two and five times the price of what a wine merchant may ask for an exceptional vintage. This is for a reason: diners will often return wines that have spoilt and not bear the expense. For restaurateurs, serving old vintages is a risk that is compensated through elevated prices. Some high-end wines are Veblen goods (for conspicuous consumption).

Exclusive wines come from all the best winemaking regions of the world. Secondary markets for these wines have consequently developed, as well as specialised facilities for post-purchase storage for people who either collect or "invest" in wine. The most common wines purchased for investment are Bordeaux and Port. The importance of the secondary wine market has led the rise of so-called "supercritics", most notably Robert M. Parker, Jr. The shift towards a perceived single-scale of wine analysis (the 100-point scale, or similar) has caused some traditionalists to claim that this process encourages a reduction in variety, as winemakers world-wide try to produce the allegedly single style of wine that will find favour with Mr. Parker and the many consumers who are influenced by his evaluations. The rise, in the late 90's, of wines produced by the garagistes in Bourdeaux, and the heavily tannic, highly fruit-driven wines of the New World, especially in California, Australia and New Zealand, all selling for prices above that of the First Growths appear to reflect the influence of Parker and changing wine tastes. (The First Growths were classified by the French government in 1855 as the four best wines in Bordeaux. A fifth was added in 1973.)

Investment in fine wine has attracted a number of fraudsters who play on fine wine's exclusive image and their clients' ignorance of this sector of the wine market. Wine fraud scams often work by charging excessively high prices for the wine, while representing that it is a sound investment unaffected by economic cycles. Like any investment, proper research is essential before investing. False labeling is another dishonest practice commonly used.

Some wines, produced to mark significant events in a country or region, can also become collectible because of labelling design. An example is the Mildara Rhine Riesling produced in 1973 to mark the opening of the Sydney Opera House. Instead of labels, the bottles (red, as well as white) had printing in gold on them, as seen in the illustration.

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