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White WineWine is an alcoholic beverage typically made by fermentation of grapes. The word comes from the Latin word vinum, meaning vine. Wine can also be made from other fruits or from flowers or many other ingredients. In this sense the word wine is used with a qualifier, for example, elderberry wine. The word wine by itself always means grape wine. This terminology is often defined by law.
The color of wine is determined by the presence or absence of the grape skin during fermentation, since most wine grapes have clear juice. Grapes with colored juice are known as teinturiers. Red wine is made from red (or black) grapes, but its red color is bestowed by the skin being left in during fermentation. White wine can be made from any color of grape, but the skin is not left in during fermentation. A white wine made from a very dark grape may appear pink or "blush" (Blush Wine). Rosé is a compromise between red and white - the skin of red grapes is left in for a short time during fermentation. Collectable wineAt 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 greater shelf life, are typically the most expensive. Such wines are often at their best years or sometimes decades after bottling.Medical implicationsThe health effects of wine (and alcohol in general) are the subject of considerable ongoing debate and study. In the U.S., a boom in red wine consumption was touched off in the 1990s by 60 Minutes and other news reports on the French paradox.It now seems clear that a glass of wine daily does reduce mortality for those over the age of 35 or so. Sadly, this effect tails off, and significantly larger amounts show a negative impact on mortality. Compounds known as resveratrols are found in larger amounts in red wine, and there is some evidence that these are especially beneficial. Wine marketers have responded to the demand for healthy wines by producing wines (both red and white) with elevated levels of resveratrol.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Wine" and from http://www.white-on.com
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