Wine

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Wine is an alcoholic beverage typically made of fermented grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients. Wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast consumes the sugars found in the grapes and converts them into alcohol. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are used depending on the type of wine being produced.

Although other fruits such as apples and berries can also be fermented, the resultant wines are normally named after the fruit from which they are produced (for example, apple wine or elderberry wine) and are generically known as fruit wine or country wine (not to be confused with the French term vin de pays). Others, such as barley wine and rice wine (i.e., sake), are made from starch-based materials and resemble beer and spirit more than wine, while ginger wine is fortified with brandy. In these cases, the use of the term "wine" is a reference to the higher alcohol content, rather than production process. The commercial use of the English word "wine" (and its equivalent in other languages) is protected by law in many jurisdictions.

Wine has a rich history dating back to around 6000 BC and is thought to have originated in areas now within the borders of Georgia and Iran. Wine probably appeared in Europe at about 4500 BC in what is now Bulgaria and Greece, and was very common in ancient Greece, Thrace and Rome. Wine has also played an important role in religion throughout history. The Greek god Dionysos and the Roman equivalent Bacchus represented wine, and the drink is also used in Christian and Jewish ceremonies such as the Eucharist (also called the Holy Communion) and Kiddush.

The word "wine" derives from the Proto-Germanic "*winam," an early borrowing from the Latin vinum, "wine" or "(grape) vine," itself derived from the Proto-Indo-European stem *win-o- (cf. Hittite: wiyana ,Lycian: Oino, Ancient Greek οῖνος - oînos, Aeolic Greek ϝοίνος - woinos).

For more information about Wine, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with red wine


Researchers explore new ways to prevent spinal cord damage using a vitamin B3 precursor

Medicine & Health / Research

created Nov 05, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Substances naturally produced by the human body may one day help prevent paralysis following a spinal cord injury, according to researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College. A recent $2.5 million grant from the New York State ...





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New study links alcohol in pregnancy to child behavior problems

Medicine & Health / Health

created Nov 23, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A new study from Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has found evidence that the amount and timing of alcohol consumption in pregnancy affects child behaviour in different ways.


Post Office card error leaves Italians in the red: report

Technology / Other

created Nov 26, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 0

A computer glitch left Italian Post Office customers in the red by processing card transactions at 100 times their value, Italian press reported Thursday.


Measuring and modeling blood flow in malaria

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Nov 23, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

When people have malaria, they are infected with Plasmodium parasites, which enter the body from the saliva of a mosquito, infect cells in the liver, and then spread to red blood cells. Inside the blood cells, the parasites ...


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Alcohol helps lower heart disease risk for men: study

Medicine & Health / Health

created Nov 19, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (7) | comments 7

Men who drink alcohol every day see a nearly one-third average reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease, according to a long-term study among Spanish men published on Thursday.


Ginkgo biloba doesn’t prevent cardiovascular events but may have potential peripheral artery disease benefits

Medicine & Health / Research

created Nov 26, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Ginkgo biloba didn’t prevent cardiovascular death or major events such as heart attack and stroke in people age 75 and older, but the herb may affect peripheral vascular disease, according to research reported ...


An atomic-level look at an HIV accomplice

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Nov 19, 2009 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Since the discovery in 2007 that a component of human semen called SEVI boosts infectivity of the virus that causes AIDS, researchers have been trying to learn more about SEVI and how it works, in hopes of ...


Red Sea coral seen to feed on jellyfish

Red Sea coral seen to feed on jellyfish

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Nov 17, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (12) | comments 2

(PhysOrg.com) -- Corals depends on the products of photosynthetic algae for most of their food, but they also eat tiny plankton. Now, for the first time, there is evidence of a coral eating jellyfish.


Tough yet stiff deer antler is materials scientist's dream

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Nov 27, 2009 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (6) | comments 2

Prized for their impressive antlers, red deer have been caught in the hunters' sights for generations. But a deer's antlers are much more than decorative. They are lethal weapons that stags crash together when duelling. John ...


An exquisite container

Smart drug delivery system -- Gold nanocage covered with polymer (w/ Video)

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created Nov 01, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0

In campy old movies, Lucretia Borgia swans around emptying powder from her ring into wine glasses carelessly left unattended. The poison ring is usually a confection of gold filigree holding a cabochon or ...


Finding more in 'most': Scientific study of an everyday word

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Nov 19, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (4) | comments 0

William Shakespeare, who knew a thing or two about words, advised that "An honest tale speeds best, being plainly told." But the exact meaning of plain language isn't always easy to find. Even simple words like "most" and ...



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