Paper Example. Introduction to Wine Quality Analysis

The quality of wine can be easily differentiated through tasting rather than defining. Quality is primarily subjective and dependent on external factors. Wine connoisseurs have come to identify wine quality variation from their extensive tasting experiences. The ability to differentiate the quality of the wine is essential information for grape farmers and winemakers. Even though there is no accuracy achieved from those who taste the wine samples, the data is still viably used by grape growers and winemakers on the effective procedures they should use to meet the quality required by the eventual consumer. Due to these uncertainties, people have come to accept the existing assumptions about the quality of wine and grape production, which are often associated with old vines, small berries, irrigation avoidance during grape farming, and limited yield. The paper analyses the introduction to wine quality analysis by answering questions like why the information is essential.

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Reasons why this Topic is Interesting

Findings show that many people associate wine with food even though there is no scientific affiliation between the two. The association is dominant within Western Culture, where food association with wine is defined as logical and hence passed from one generation to another. Therefore since the attribution of wine and food is not evidence-based, it is concluded that people make these assumptions due to habits rather than thinking. The exciting part of the pairing of wine and food is that the diverse sensory acuity of people makes them gain satisfaction in any flavor of the wine. The standard rules dictate which type of wine accompanies which meal, and this varies across different cultures. Therefore, during special events, people get to take the available wine rather than what they are accustomed to. In this case, the wine quality is not necessary, but the event type. Eventually, this topic is essential due to the lack of clear scientific statistics on high or low wine quality.

What People Need to Know

People should understand that the quality of the wine is dependent on the quality of the grapes. Grapes are the primary raw materials for wine production. Therefore, if the grapes are of poor quality, then the wine quality will be unpleasant even when other flavors are added. Grape growers can achieve high-quality fruits from the prevention of parasite intrusion on the farm. Downy and Powdery Mildew is the most common fungal diseases that impact negatively on the quality of the harvested fruit (Caboni & Cabras, 2010). Also, vine mealybug, grape moth, and citrus mealybug are common parasites that affect the quality of grapes. Farmers are thus forced to use pesticides whose residues will appear at the harvesting period (Caboni &Cabras, 2010). However, if the quality of the grape is good, the fermentation stage of wine production adsorbs all the pesticide residues, thus preventing the appearance in the final product. Therefore, yeast is an essential factor in wine production and is extracted as lees after absorbing chemical residues.

Prior Research on Wine Quality

A.G. Reynolds, in his book 'Managing Wine Quality: Viticulture and Wine Quality,' provides tangible research on this topic. The study analyses the factors that contribute to the quality of the wine (Reynolds, 2010). Such factors include soil and geological variables, viticulture decisions, and climatic changes. Specifically, this research focuses on the influence of viticulture on the quality of grapes and wine. Some of the viticulture practices include vine canopy trimming, which is practiced to prevent excessive shading of fruits (Reynolds, 2010). Leaves are removed from the fruit area to expose fruits to sunlight. Specific training procedures in vine growth are practiced to ensure that the fruit systems are enriched with the right quality. The number of fruit plants may also be reduced to ensure that several vines grow to maturity, thus producing high-quality grapes.

Wine Quality Based on Data Analysis

The chemical composition of wine also determines the wine quality. The standard wine components include alcohol, malic acid, ash, and its alkalinity, total phenols, magnesium, flavonoids, and non-flavonoid phenols, proanthocyanins, hue, color intensity, and praline (Miandad, 2015). The provided data set shows a variation in wine quality in red wine samples based on chemical composition. Volatile acidity implies the formation of acetic acid in wine. A higher volatility means the wine has an excessive balance of acetic acid and will lead to unpleasant tastes of vinegar. Sweet wines with a chemical composition of 45 grams per liter of residual sugar are considered pleasing (Miandad, 2015). Citric acid composition in wine is available in small quantities to add freshness to the drink. The pH of wine samples ranges between three and four (Miandad, 2015). Therefore, familiar chemical compositions of red wine include fixed acidity that is above 5%, volatile acidity that does not exceed 1, citric acid that does not exceed 0.6, chlorides, residual sugars, total sulfur, free sulfur, sulfates, alcohol, density, and pH. High-quality red wine ranges from 5% and above based on the constituents previously stated.

Conclusively, the introduction to wine analysis shown above shows that this topic is still under substantial research. The issue is interesting because many people hold different assumptions about wine relations with food depending on the culture or the occasion. Therefore, most people in Western culture end up settling for what is available. The sensory diversity of the human brain also allows people to achieve satisfaction in what is on the menu rather than what they desire. Research on the topic exists from various researchers, including A.G Reynolds. Therefore, wine quality can be identified not just from tasting but also from the chemical constituents and the viticulture composition.

References

Caboni, P., & Cabras, P. (2010). Pesticides' influence on wine fermentation. Advances in food and nutrition research (Vol. 59, pp. 43-62). Academic Press. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043452610590028

Miandad, R. (2015). Wine Quality Exploration. http://rstudio-pubs-static.s3.amazonaws.com/80458_5000e31f84df449099a872ccf40747b7.html

Reynolds, A. G. (Ed.). (2010). Managing wine quality: viticulture and wine quality. Elsevier. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/wine-quality