The classification of a good wine is very speculative. From the taster standpoint, flavor and aroma are key factors in the determining of a great wine. Other factors can make or break a wine’s reputation when not done consistently over time. There are also off days or years when wine is produced that used a lesser quality crop of grapes to make the wine. These are off years that should be considered for their unique or unorthodox flavor and quality.

The price of wine is never a good indicator of its overall quality. Many different factors such as flavor, aroma, age and additives make a wine what it is. Many people never get to see the process of how wine is made. Grapes are processed to remove pulp, seed and other solids to leave the grape juice behind. The grape juice is then put into bottles or barrels to ferment with any and all additives. Over time the fermentation process turns grape juice into wine.

Aging allows for the wine to ferment and produce alcohols. The longer a wine ages, the better for the overall flavor and strength. Wine that is very old will tend to have a very distinct flavor that may be unique, even from bottle to bottle of wine. Inexpensive wines are not aged as long and sometimes you may even over age wines.

When wine is aged in bottles, many of the original components are contained in the wine. The alcohol levels will stop at some point when there are no more sugars available for the fermentation process to continue. This makes for a somewhat balanced wine that most people enjoy.

The quality of the wine can be greatly altered by aging the wine in wooden barrels. Many times different types of wood and wood quality will be used to produce different flavored wines. Wooden barrels provide many benefits to the wine aging process. They produce more alcohol because sugars in the wood allow the fermentation process to continue many years after the available sugars in the grapes are gone. This lets the quality of the wine go very high up.

Many times, different additives or ingredients may be added to change the flavor or consistency of the wine over time. When adding oils to the wine or infusing flavorings, the flavor and quality of the wine can be drastically changed. Even small changes to the wine may make the wine more favorable between consumers.

Closing Comments

The world loves wine. Wine producers have been producing wine the same way for centuries. Sometimes a little change can alter the history of wine producing and can change the classification of wine.