Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol, carbon dioxide, and heat. Technically, wine can also be made from sweet fruits such as plums, litchis, apples, strawberries, cranberries and so on. However, such fruit wines are not common. The chemical composition of wine is about 87.7% water, 11% alcohol, 1% acid, and 0.2% tannins.
Red wine, in moderation, has long been thought of as heart healthy. The alcohol and certain substances in red wine called antioxidants may help prevent coronary artery disease, the condition that leads to heart attacks. Any links between red wine and fewer heart attacks aren't completely understood.
Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts produce different styles of wine. There are various brands of wine on the market such as Virtuoso Tetra Pak Red Wine, O' Bocoi Sparkling Wine, Douglas Green Chardonnay, KWV Chardonnay, Casillero Diablo Sauvignon Blanc and Laborie Sauvignon Blanc.
The importance of eating food with alcohol can't be overstated. But when it comes to drinking wine with food, it sends most people in a frenzy. Drinking wine with food is a centuries-old practice. Many cultures around the world, consider wine as a part of their meal. In fact, one of wine's greatest pleasures is its ability to enhance the dining experience; to join its solid counterpart at the table and to transform a meal from simple nourishment to a wonderful gastronomical experience.
Pinot Noir is considered the healthiest red wine you can drink. Unlike many of the reds on this list, Pinot grapes have a thin skin, so Pinot Noir has low tannins but high levels of resveratrol.
There are many different kinds of wine grapes–over a thousand,– but here some 5 common choices you’ll find in Zambian grocery and liquour store:
- Red - Made from dark-skinned grape varieties. The wine grapes are fermented along with their skins to give the wine unique color, flavours, acidity, and tannin levels.
- White - This is made by fermenting green-skinned grape varieties. White wines can also be produced from black grapes by simply removing the skins off the grape before fermentation.
- Rose wine - Made from red wine grape varietals by macerating the grape juice with the grape skins for only a few hours. This limited contact with grape skin is what gives the wine light pink color. It can be sweet, dry, and even sparkling.
- Sparkling wine - A fizzy drink with carbon dioxide bubbles that gives it a shimmering look. Sparkling wines are produced by fermenting the wine twice.
- Dessert wine - This is produced when the winemaker ferments the grape juice only partially, so the wine is left with some residual sugar. This residual sugar gives the wine a sweet flavour.
