Wine Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Grape varieties == [[File:Moldova_Competitiveness_Project,_USAID_Moldova_(48121804303).jpg|thumb|right|Grape vineyard]] {{Main|List of grape varieties}} Wine is usually made from one or more [[Variety (biology)|varieties]] of the European [[species]] ''[[Vitis vinifera]]'', such as [[Pinot noir]], [[Chardonnay]], [[Cabernet Sauvignon]], [[Gamay]] and [[Merlot]]. When one of these varieties is used as the predominant grape (usually defined by law as minimums of 75% to 85%), the result is a "[[varietal]]" as opposed to a "blended" wine. Blended wines are not necessarily inferior to varietal wines, rather they are a different style of wine-making.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/dining/drinks/wine-school-california-grenache.html|title=Don't Judge a Wine by the Grape on Its Label|date=2018-02-01|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-04-09|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=9 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180409181539/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/dining/drinks/wine-school-california-grenache.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Wine can also be made from other species of grape or from [[Hybrid (grapes)|hybrids]], created by the [[genetic crossing (vine)|genetic crossing]] of two species. ''[[Vitis labrusca|V. labrusca]]'' (of which the [[Concord grape]] is a [[cultivar]]), ''[[Vitis aestivalis|V. aestivalis]]'', ''[[Vitis rupestris|V. rupestris]]'', ''[[Vitis rotundifolia|V. rotundifolia]]'' and ''[[Vitis riparia|V. riparia]]'' are native [[North America]]n grapes usually grown to eat fresh or for grape juice, jam, or jelly, and only occasionally made into wine. Hybridization is different from [[grafting]]. Most of the world's vineyards are planted with European ''Vitis vinifera'' vines that have been grafted onto North American species' rootstock, a common practice due to their resistance to [[phylloxera]], a root louse that eventually kills the vine. In the late 19th century, most of Europe's vineyards (excluding some of the driest in the south) were devastated by the infestation, leading to widespread vine deaths and eventual replanting. Grafting is done in every wine-producing region in the world except in [[Argentina]] and the [[Canary Islands]] – the only places not yet exposed to the insect.<ref name="Robinson pg 97">{{cite book |last=Robinson |first=Jancis |title=Jancis Robinson's Wine Course: A Guide to the World of Wine |date=28 April 2006 |publisher=Abbeville Press |isbn=978-0-7892-0883-5 |page=97}}</ref> In the context of wine production, ''[[terroir]]'' is a concept that encompasses the varieties of grapes used, elevation and shape of the vineyard, type and chemistry of soil, climate and seasonal conditions, and the local yeast cultures.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Fraga|first1=Helder|last2=Malheiro|first2=Aureliano C.|last3=Moutinho-Pereira|first3=José|last4=Cardoso|first4=Rita M.|last5=Soares|first5=Pedro M. M.|last6=Cancela|first6=Javier J.|last7=Pinto|first7=Joaquim G.|last8=Santos|first8=João A.|last9=Álvarez|first9=Inés| display-authors = 8|title=Integrated Analysis of Climate, Soil, Topography and Vegetative Growth in Iberian Viticultural Regions|journal=PLOS ONE|date=24 September 2014|volume=9|issue=9|pages=e108078|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0108078|pmid=25251495|pmc=4176712|bibcode=2014PLoSO...9j8078F|doi-access=free}}</ref> The range of possible combinations of these factors can result in great differences among wines, influencing the fermentation, finishing, and aging processes as well. Many wineries use growing and production methods that preserve or accentuate the [[aroma (wine)|aroma]] and taste influences of their unique ''terroir''.<ref name="Johnson & Robinson pg 22-23">{{cite book |last=Johnson |first=Hugh |author2=Jancis Robinson |title=The World Atlas of Wine |date=13 September 2001 |publisher=Mitchell Beazley |isbn=978-1-84000-332-1 |pages=22–23}}</ref> However, flavor differences are less desirable for producers of mass-market [[table wine]] or other cheaper wines, where consistency takes precedence. Such producers try to minimize differences in sources of grapes through production techniques such as [[micro-oxygenation]], tannin filtration, cross-flow filtration, thin-film evaporation, and spinning cones.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://winegeeks.com/articles/85 |title=High Alcohol is a Wine Fault... Not a Badge of Honor |access-date=25 June 2008 |last=Citriglia |first=Matthew |date=14 May 2006 |publisher=GeekSpeak, LLC |archive-date=5 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505010850/http://winegeeks.com/articles/85 |url-status=live }}</ref> About 700 grapes go into one bottle of wine, approximately 2.6 pounds.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/g25692093/random-trivia/?slide=25|title = Celebrate National Trivia Day with These 35 Fun Facts|date = 27 December 2019|access-date = 30 December 2020|archive-date = 3 August 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210803165939/https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/g25692093/random-trivia/?slide=25|url-status = live}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. 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