Wine Classification: A High‑Level Overview
This overview maps the primary ways wines are classified and points to detailed articles for the main types: red, white, rosé, sparkling, fortified, and dessert/sweet wines.
Primary Axes of Classification
- Color and Maceration
- Red: Skins present during fermentation extract color, tannin, and phenolics.
- White: Pressed off skins before or at fermentation; oxidative vs reductive choices matter.
- Rosé: Limited skin contact or blending (where legal) to achieve pink hues.
- Skin‑contact “Orange/Amber”: White grapes fermented on skins, tannic structure like light reds.
- Production Method
- Still: No significant CO₂ pressure; most table wines.
- Sparkling: Bottle pressure ≥3 bar; created via secondary fermentation or CO₂ capture.
- Fortified: Alcohol strengthened by adding grape spirit, either during or after fermentation.
- Sweetness and Residual Sugar (RS)
- Dry: Typically <4 g/L RS (region/style-dependent thresholds vary).
- Off‑dry to Medium: Noticeable sweetness with balancing acidity.
- Sweet/Dessert: Elevated RS; methods include late harvest, noble rot, passito, ice wine, or fortification.
- Origin and Appellation
- Old World: Appellation-driven (AOC/AC, DOC/DOCG, DO/DOQ, DAC, PDO/PGI, etc.).
- New World: Often varietal‑labeled, broader GI/AVA/WO regions.
- Variety and Blend
- Single‑varietal: Dominated by one grape (label rules differ by country; e.g., 75–85% typical minimums).
- Blends: Style‑driven combinations (Bordeaux, GSM, field blends, cuvées).
Where to Go Next
- Red Wines: ./wines-red.md
- White Wines: ./wines-white.md
- Rosé Wines: ./wines-rose.md
- Sparkling Wines: ./wines-sparkling.md
- Fortified Wines: ./wines-fortified.md
- Dessert & Sweet Wines: ./wines-dessert.md