Wine - More Than Just Two Buck Chuck

A good meal, coupled with a great wine, is one of life's simple pleasures. We have been enjoying wine for thousands of years but the sciences of Vinification and Oenology have blossomed only in the last several hundred years or so.

Although it can be simply enjoyed, the process of making wine from grapes is a demanding process. It is a delicate dance of storage, temperature, yeast and oxygen (or lack thereof) with time. The flavor and the alcoholic strength depends greatly on the control the winemaker exercises over these variables. The primary reaction is the conversion of the natural sugars in the grapes by yeast into acetaldehyde, with the release of CO₂ (think sparkling wines), and then the anaerobic breakdown of the acetaldehyde into ethanol (alcohol). Acetic acid is also produced and can cause the wine to sour (turn to vinegar) if it develops in excess.
Fir0002/Flagstaffotos  -  GFDL

Other volatile chemicals are also formed in the fermentation process. These chemicals include aldehydes, esters, ketones, terpenes and phenols and give each wine its own subtle and distinctive flavors and aromas. A well made wine is a complex chemical blend of these many ingredients which produces one of the most sophisticated tastes in the whole world. A well trained Sommelier can identify the type of wine, the grapes used, the region where they were grown and possibly even the vintage year just from "experiencing" the wine with all of his senses.

Jesus chose as His first miracle, at the request of His mother, to change water into wine. The master of the feast, the Sommelier if you will, tasted the wine and reported to the bridegroom, "you have kept the best until now! John 2:10 (NIV)."

There is more to wine than just the alcohol. Wine can be subtle but bold, a complex mixture of many distinctive flavors. When enjoyed with a well matched meal, it lightens and lifts the spirit. But when consumed just for its alcoholic content, it will eventually bring the body to destruction. Enjoy it responsibly.

Ephesians 5:18 - "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (NIV)"