Wine at its simplest

Virtually everything we enjoy today started off in a simpler form before evolving to what we know now. Wine has been around since biblical times, perhaps even longer. It started out as a very basic reaction: yeast consumed the sugar in grapes during fermentation, and created a grape-based alcohol (not the only one by any stretch) called wine, vino, vin or any other myriad names, depending on the area of origin.

Much of what we know about wine — how it is fermented, transported, consumed and tastes — came later, much later. The “tools” used today to make wine and virtually all other things were created after the first sip long ago, to make it easier to enjoy and to make it taste better. A Moore’s Law of the modern day wine industry, if you will.

The first fermented wine probably came from grapes not being consumed quickly enough, when wild native yeasts began to consume the sugar in the grapes; producing alcohol and causing the fruit to break down or rot. The weight of the grapes must have naturally pressed the fermented juice out of the skins. At some point, it was no doubt consumed, leading the one doing the consuming to say, “This is pretty good!” Shortly followed by “How can we make it better?”

One of the first discoveries was likely that these wild native yeast strains were not at all reliable. Some must have died prior to the wine being fully-fermented. Still others likely kicked off a secondary fermentation later, and even more might have left unpleasant tastes in the wine.

Fast forward to today and you now have the Encyclopedia of Yeast, a tome that lists all the many “domesticated” yeasts that can be used to ferment. While the current movement among winemakers is to make wine with only native yeast, the same problem of controlling the “little buggers” still exists, and is driving many producers back to using the tamer version.

When wine production started on a large scale with commercial impact, transportation became an issue. Glass bottles were uniform in size, and easily sealed by driving something into the neck to seal the bottle. Assuming no secondary fermentation kicked off to blow the seal out of the bottle, all was good. But glass breaks! Enter the wood barrel, and its use to transport the tasty and valuable nectar to customers around the world.

One of the most notable was Thomas Jefferson. In most any of the books written about Jefferson, you can read how his time in France drove his passion for wine. He would purchase wine before returning to Virginia, but how to get it here? Too many bottles would break during the journey by ship across the Atlantic. Wood barrels would be used instead. They could be easily secured in the hold of the ship, and breakage was not an issue. Upon arrival, they would be tapped to dispense the wine for Jefferson and other consumers.

Not long after, consumers began to notice that the storage of the wine in wood changed it, creating flavors and nuance that did not previously exist. Oak barrel aging became a part of the repertoire of winemakers and remains so to this day.

Oxygen exposure also changed the wine — not always for the better. As the wine was drained from barrels, more and more was exposed to the deleterious effects of oxygen, frequently spoiling the wine and leading to the development a number of ways to deposit inert gas on top of the wine, eliminating the oxygen and its ill effects.

The first Champagne has been reported by some as an accident, with secondary fermentation kicking off carbonation in the bottle, eventually blowing the cork out of the mouth. This lead to the invention of the “cage” affixed around the neck and cork of closures for all sparkling wines, but also the making of the super-heavy gauge glass that is now used for Champagne and other bubbly.

Wine remains a simple beverage at its core. Sugar in grapes is consumed by yeast and creates alcohol, that’s it! As wine consumers, though, we continue to seek out the best bottle for us, always reflecting on all that has brought wine to what it has become today. Many of these creations were attempting to solve the problems of the time that ultimately led to the beverage we know and love.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or if you have questions on wine, you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com, or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d’Alene Press.

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George Balling is co-owner (with his wife Mary Lancaster) of the dinner party, a wine and table top décor shop located by Costco in Coeur d’Alene. George worked as a judge in many wine competitions, and his articles are published around the country. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. Be sure and check out our weekly blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com/home/blog-2 You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.