Wine is the product obtained from the alcoholic fermentation of grape juice. Winemaking is the set of operations that consist of transforming grapes into wine.
World wine production in 1963 was 255,000,000 hectoliters. The main producers were France, with 55,303,000 hectoliters, and Italy, with 53,042,000 hectoliters. Brazil, in 15th place in world production, obtained about 1,250,000 hectoliters, with 70% or more produced by Rio Grande do Sul, followed by São Paulo, Minas, and Santa Catarina; other states produce little.
History. - The origin of wine is lost in time. The oldest citation is from the Bible: Noah planted a vine, drank wine, and got drunk. There is evidence that in Egypt, 2,400 years ago, and in China, 2,000 years before the Christian era, wine was produced. In ancient Greece and Rome, wine was consumed in abundance. In North America, viticulture began with Franciscan monks in California, after 1769. In Brazil, viticulture dates back to the late 18th century. In Parreira, ancient Caldas, in Southern Minas, European grapevines were already cultivated at that time. In the late 19th century and early current century, the great development of the country's viticulture began, which has been evidenced lately, with Brazil already exporting wines today. (Delta Laurosse, 1968) The next chapter will be about Winemaking.
