White wine
White wine is wine made by fermenting grape juice with little or no contact with grape skins, usually producing a pale-colored drink.
Wine: An alcoholic beverage produced by fermenting grape juice. White wine is one major category of wine, distinguished chiefly by its production and color.
Grape pressing: The extraction of juice from grapes by applying pressure. Pressing separates juice from skins before or during white-wine production.
Chardonnay: A widely cultivated white grape variety used to make wines ranging from lean and crisp to rich and oaked. Its contrasting styles demonstrate how grape variety and winemaking shape white wine.
Red wine: Wine usually fermented with grape skins, which contribute color and tannin. Red wine’s extended skin contact contrasts with the limited contact typical of white wine.
Wine grape: A grape variety cultivated for making wine. White wine’s aromas, acidity, and structure depend strongly on the grape variety.
Skin contact: The period during which grape juice remains in contact with grape skins. The amount of skin contact affects white wine’s color, tannin, and aromatic compounds.
Riesling: A white grape variety known for aromatic wines with high acidity, made from dry to sweet. Riesling shows how white wine can balance pronounced sweetness with freshness.
Rosé wine: Pink wine made through limited skin contact, blending, or other permitted methods. Rosé occupies a color and production middle ground between many white and red wines.
Alcoholic fermentation: The conversion of sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide by microorganisms, chiefly yeast. Yeast fermentation turns the juice used for white wine into an alcoholic beverage.
Malolactic fermentation: A bacterial process that converts sharp malic acid into softer lactic acid. Winemakers use it to soften acidity and sometimes add buttery aromas to white wine.