Six Wine Families
A portrait of different wine types
White. Red. Rosé. Sparkling. Sweet. Fortified wines… Wines are classified into six main families of different colours and styles.
Within these families, there is yet more diversity! Infinite palettes of colours, a multitude of aromas, different impressions on the palate… From fresh, lively wines to austere, tannic wines via vibrant, aromatic wines, warm, full-bodied wines and powerful wines…
In this area of the Permanent Exhibition, explore the secrets of each wine family in the giant bottles with their unique shapes. You will discover that each of these families is composed of wines produced using different vinification methods, which give them their specific gustatory characteristics, and that each type of wine should be served in the correct way in order to be fully appreciated.
How to winemakers make such a wide variety of wines?
Everything starts with the grapes: colour potential, aromatic palette, level of acidity, sugar content, the amount of tannins…
All these elements are linked to the grape variety and terroir where they were grown, which both impact the style of the wines they can produce.“Can produce”, and not “produce”, because the grapes by themselves do not make the wine. This is where the methods developed by multiple generations of winemakers come into play.
Winemakers make surprising grape selections in the vineyard to produce sweet wines. They have perfected a wide range of processes to trap the bubbles in sparkling wines. They take infinite precautions to produce lively or fleshy white wines or subtle rosés. They have even invented a technique that allows fortified wines to defy the passing of time, thanks to the addition of alcohol in a process known as “fortification”.
In this area, you will understand that, whatever the category of wine, the production methods bring a range of complex processes into play, involving multiple stages and constantly requiring decisions to be made.
The diversity of wines around the world is the result of both the wide range of grape varieties and terroirs and the multiplicity of human choices and know-how…
© Casson Mann, Blue Yeti