Classification of wine

Within the European Union, the term "wine" and its equivalents in other languages is reserved exclusively for the fermented juice of grapes.

However, in the United States, a legal definition called semi-generic has enabled U.S. winemakers to use certain generic terms (Champagne, Hock, Sherry, etc.)

This is a "declaration of joint principles stating the importance of location to wine and the need to protect place names".

A form of Rosé is called Blanc de Noirs where the juice of red grapes is allowed contact with the skins for a very short time (usually only a couple of hours).

Sparkling wines such as champagne, contain carbon dioxide which is produced naturally from fermentation or force-injected later.

The latter designation was outlawed for all wines other than champagne (which for obvious reasons does not bother to utilize it) in Europe in 1994.

[14] Other terms for sparkling wine in other languages include Sekt or Schaumwein (Germany), cava (Spain), spumante (Italy) and espumante (Portugal).

Examples of semi-sparkling synonym terms are frizzante in Italy, vino de aguja in Spain, and pétillant in France.

Botrytized wines are made from grapes infected by the mold Botrytis cinerea or noble rot.

These include Sauternes from Bordeaux, numerous wines from Loire such as Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume, Tokaji Aszú from Hungary, and Beerenauslese.

Cooking wine typically available in North America is treated with salt to allow its sale in non-licensed grocery stores.

[17] This also acts as a preservative, as the salt in cooking wine inhibits the growth of the microorganisms that produce acetic acid.

[18] Fortified wines resist spoilage, as their alcohol content is too high to permit bacterial growth.