Wine (from
Latin vinum) is an
alcoholic beverage made from
fermented grapes or other fruits. Due to a natural chemical balance, grapes ferment without the addition of
sugars,
acids,
enzymes, water, or other
nutrients.
Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to
ethanol and
carbon dioxide. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts produce different styles of wine. These variations result from the complex interactions between the biochemical development of the grape, the reactions involved in fermentation, the
terroir (the special characteristics imparted by geography, geology, climate and plant genetics) and subsequent
appellation (the legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown), along with human intervention in the overall process.
