Introduction

The chemistry of wine

Wine is the drink obtained from the total or partial alcoholic fermentation of the juice of ripe grapes. There are several ways to classify wines, but there are two of the best known, due to the color of the wine and its age.

Sorting by color:

• Red wine: A red wine, it has a range of colors between ruby ​​red and purple. It is made with red grapes, fermenting the grape must together with the skin, since it is this that provides the color.
• White wine: This type of wine has a range of colors that goes from pale yellow to mahogany. Most of it is made with white grapes, in which the must has not been in contact with the grape skin.
• Rosé wine: Rosé wine has a range of colors from salmon pink to more orange tones. The must is in contact with the skin, but for less time than in the case of red wines

Age classification:

• Young wine: A young wine is hardly aged in wood, less than 6 months.
• Aged wine: These wines are aged in wood for at least 6 months. The most common aged wines are reds, although it is increasingly common to find aged white wines
• Aging Wine: Normally it must be aged for at least 6 months in wood, and up to a maximum of two years in the bottle.
• Reserva Wine: These are wines with a minimum of one year of aging in wood and a maximum of 3 years in the bottle.
• Great Reserve Wine: They must have a minimum of two years of aging in wood and a maximum of 5 years in the bottle. (Morgan Meda, 2017)

Wine became a symbol of social status and was used in religious rites and pagan festivals. The pharaohs were buried with clay pots containing wine and in the pyramids engravings have been found that symbolize the cultivation of life, the collection, elaboration and enjoyment of wine in festivals and religious acts. At this time the wine was kept for several years, the old wine having more value than the new

We are going to reel off, as if it were a bunch of grapes, the fantastic chemical world that turns grape must into wine. The chemistry of wine is essential in the transformation of grape juice into wine, this process is called fermentation, which is normally carried out in steel or concrete tanks. (vinoselección)