Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. Over the course of more than thousand years, different grape varieties have developed through natural selection or interbreeding, as well as targeted hybrid varieties that have been developed by man. The different varieties enable the creation of differentiated wine quality. Of the 16,000 different grape varieties, only 1,000 varieties are permitted for wine growing.

Dry white wines = 8° C to 10° C
Medium dry white wines = 9° C to 12° C
Rose wines = 9° C to 11 °C
Light red wines or blush wines = 12° C to 15° C
Bold red wines= 15° C to 18° C

Red wine: Soups, and stews, pasta with spicy sauces, pizza, beef and lamb, cheese and game.

White wine: Pasta, pizza, seafood, shell food, poultry, vegetarian dishes and veal.

Rose wine: Pasta, pizza, seafood, poultry, vegetarian dishes and veal.

Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is a grape variety with a very high quality potential. The Chardonnay grape has a nutty flavour and as the grape variety ages, a petroliferous aroma. The success of this grape variety relies virtually on the type of soil which can generate or yield a successful quality wine. Harvesting time is crucial to wine making, with the grape rapidly losing acidity as soon as they ripen.

Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine variety with an unknown future but one that has a wide distribution. Depending on the climate, the flavor of these single varieties can range from aggressively grassy to sweetly tropical. Some denote this variety with notes of currant and gooseberry, along with a grassy aroma.

Riesling is a white grape variety originating in the Rhine region of Germany. Normally the wine is light to medium, and is often described as fresh, almost perfumed and mineral in flavor.

Müller-Thurgau is a variety of white grape selected to make white wine. There are around 104,000 acres cultivated world-wide, which makes Müller-Thurgau the most widely planted of the so-called new breeds of grape varieties. These wines are mild due to their low acidic content, but nevertheless fruity. The wines may be drunk while relatively young, and with few exceptions are not considered to improve with age.

Grüner Veltliner is a type of white wine grape variety grown in Austria, especially in lower Austria, where the variety is the farthest widespread. The wine has an impressive and intense bouquet due to it's freshness. Down in the plains, citrus and peach flavours are more apparent, with spicy notes of pepper and sometimes tobacco.

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country. Cabernet Sauvignon is easily identifiable due to the grape scent of black currants and the deep dark color of it’s wine. Hence, the wine always has a fruity note to it.

Merlot is a red wine grape that is used as both a blending grape and a varietal wines. Merlot is thought to derive from the Bordeaux area. Merlot wines have a medium body with hints of berry, plum and currant. Merlot has a dark red color to it and ripens relatively early and throughout many areas of Europe.

Spätburgunder is to red wine what the Riesling is to white wine: the cream of the crop. It is produced from a high quality red grape variety. Called Pinot Noir in France, this grape produces elegant, velvety wines with a distinctive bouquet reminiscent of bitter almonds or blackberries. If allowed to age, the wine develops a soft, buttery and nutty flavor.

Montepulciano is derived from a red grape variety which accounts for up to to 4% of Italy’s viticulture. The grape has a deep purple and ruby color to its juice. It has lower acidity (especially for an Italian varietal) and mild sweeter tannins.

White Zinfandel is an off-dry to sweet, pink-colored blush wine. It is made from the Zinfandel wine grape, which would otherwise produce a bold and spicy red wine. As of February 2006 it accounted for almost 10% of wines sold in the U.S. Relatively low in alcohol, it can almost taste like a fruit punch and is manufactured for immediate consumption rather than for aging.

Mateus rosé is a brand of medium-sweet wine, with a little bit of sparkling characteristics. It is produced in Portugal. It is mainly distributed via super markets in Norther Europe and Northern America.

Badisch Rotgold is made from the grapes of pinot noir and pinot gris. The grapes are mixed in the mash before fermentation. A mild acidity and a full fruity aroma is what contributes to the fine taste of Badisch Rotgold.

Heckenklescher is a wine derived from the Südburgenland region located in Austria. This type of wine is produced from specific grapes which originated from American vines. This wine has an intense and flavorful taste of strawberries or dark currants.

Rotling is a type of vine produced from a mix of grapes that are mixed before fermentation. Strictly speaking this is not a type of rosé wine since those are made from a special process of red wine grapes. For Rotling there is an exception that to the fermented wine red or white grape juice can be added in order to increase the sugar level.

Rosé de Loire is a rosé wine from the French loire valley. For production it is feasible to mix a variety of grapes, although Cabernet variety has to exceed at least 30%.

Schilcher is a wine produced in the Austrian region of Western Styria. It is being made from the indigenous Blauer Wildbacher grape. The colour ranges from a light onion tinge to a deep ruby. Schilcher should be consumed young, otherwise the wine looses its typical acidity and tangy flavour.

Schillerwein is a wine made from a mix of red and white grapes, mixed after harvest and before fermentation. A low key, digestible wine that is often consumed as a table wine.

(in million Imp. Gallons per year) Italy: 1,110
France: 1,036
Spain: 802
USA: 506
Argentina: 341

(in million Imp. Gallons per year) France: 708
Italy: 638
USA: 636
Germany: 438
China: 312

Hitting the bottom of the wine bottle against a flat surface: If you find yourself without a corkscrew, one of the best methods to open a bottle of wine is to hit the bottom of the wine bottle evenly against a reasonably flat, vertical surface (such as a wall, or a tree). The pressure of the wine against the cork will gradually nudge the cork out. Once the cork is partially sticking out, you can pull it out with your hands or pliers. You can also just continue hitting the bottle rhythmically until the entire cork comes out (be careful about wine spilling out, since you're holding the bottle sideways and you don't want it to spill on the floor).

The screw and plier method: Find a long screw. The wider the distance between threads on the screw, the better. The long screw will act as the replacement corkscrew. Turn the screw into the cork of the wine bottle until there is about 1.2 cm sticking out or is 2/3 of the way in and with a pair of pliers, pull the top of the screw until the cork is out of the wine bottle.

Drink responsible. Excessive consumption of wine can lead to bodily and psychological addiction and induce bodily harm.