Wine Components

You love the taste of a great Valpolicella, but do you know what is in it? It takes more than grapes, water and alcohol to make your favorite wines. Here is a list of the components and their percentages:

Water (80 to 85 percent) The water in wine comes from grape juice. It is the medium for all of the complex chemical reactions that take place when wine is made and aged.

Alcohols (10 to 17 percent)The alcohol in wine is made by yeast-converting sugars. They add flavor to the wine and are the main carriers of the aroma or bouquet. Several types of alcohol in wine include ethyl and glycerol, which adds sweetness.

Acids (0.4 to 1 percent) Acids give wine a sour or sharp taste. Some acids come from the grapes and others are made during fermentation.

SugarsThough 15 to 25 percent of a grape is sugar, most of the sugar is converted to alcohol by fermentation during the wine-making process. In dry wines, a trace of sugar may remain (0.1 percent), while sweet wines may retain up to 10 percent of the original sugar. However, wine's sweet taste comes from alcohol and other substances as well.

Flavoring and coloring substances (0.01 to 0.5 percent) Compounds in grape skins give wines their distinct color and flavor. Red wines are colored by anthocyanins and tannins, while white wines get their color from the grape skins, wood and aging.
Anthocyanins are naturally occurring compounds that give color to fruit, vegetables and plants; red wine has more than 15 anthocyanins that give color to the wine and vary depending on the grape.

Sulfites Extremely small amounts of chemicals made from sulfur are used to safeguard grapes and sterilize and preserve wines.