
Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from fermentation of grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Although fruits other than grapes can also be fermented, the resultant wines are normally named after the fruit from which they are produced (for example, apple wine) and are known as fruit wine (or country wine). Others, such as barley wine and rice wine (e.g. sake), are made from starch-based materials and resemble beer more than wine; ginger wine is fortified with brandy. In these cases, the use of the term "wine" is a reference to the higher alcohol content, rather than the production process. The commercial use of the word "wine" (and its equivalent in other languages) is protected by law in many jurisdictions. Wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast which consume the sugars found in the grapes and convert them into alcohol. Various varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are used depending on the types of wine produced.
Wine stems from an extended and rich history dating back about 8,000 years and is thought to have originated in present-day Georgia or Iran. Wine is thought to have appeared in Europe about 6,500 years ago in present-day Bulgaria and Greece and was very common in ancient Greece and Rome; the Greek god Dionysos, and his Roman counterpart Liber represented wine. Wine continues to plays a role in religious ceremonies, such as Kiddush in Judaism and the Eucharist in Christianity.
Resveratrol is a phytoalexin produced naturally by several plants when under attack by bacteria or fungi. Phytoalexins are antibacterial and anti-fungal chemicals produced by plants as a defense against infection by pathogens. Resveratrol has also been produced by chemical synthesis, and is sold as a nutritional supplement. A number of beneficial health effects, such as anti- cancer, antiviral, neuroprotective, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and life-prolonging effects have been reported, although some of these studies used animal subjects ( e.g. rats). Resveratrol is found in the skin of red grapes and is a constituent of red wine but, based on extrapolation from animal trials, apparently not in sufficient amounts to explain the “ French paradox” that the incidence of coronary heart disease is relatively low in southern France despite high dietary intake of saturated fats.
Konrad T. Howitz and Robert Zipkin of BIOMOL International discovered that resveratrol increases the activity of an enzyme called SIRT1. They then contacted David Sinclair of the Harvard Medical School, and cofounder of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, in order to initiate a collaboration. Sinclair found that resveratrol significantly increases the lifespan of yeast and mice. There is hope that it could do the same for humans.
The four stilbenes cis- and trans-resveratrol, and cis- and trans-piceid are similar and related, and sometimes analyzed together as a group.
Photo credit: Les Grandes Usines, Julien Turgan, ed 1877, part 38
Decauville narrow gauge railway in Champagne cellars
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Here are some tasks you can do for WikiProject Wine:
- Article request: Charles Krug, John Patchett, Global warming and wine, History of French wine, History of German wine, History of Spanish wine, History of Italian wine, California wine regions, Corsica wine, Vine training systems;
- Expand: any of the ~1000 wine stubs, particularly the region and "miscellaneous" ones
- Improve: Cabernet Franc, Canadian wine, Greek wine, Sangiovese, Vitis vinifera, wine serving temperature, other Start class articles
- Articles to GA: Wine, Australian wine, Bordeaux wine, Burgundy wine, California wine, Champagne (wine), Chianti, Dessert wine, French wine, German wine, Grenache, Italian wine, Merlot, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Rioja (wine), Sauvignon blanc, Shiraz (grape), Spanish wine, Sparkling wine, Winemaking, Zinfandel
- Articles to FA: Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Tempranillo
- Cleanup: Table wine, Wine competition, Wine tasting, red links in Spanish_wine_regions
- Peer review:Tempranillo, Wikipedia:Wikipedia is not a wine guide, Alcohol in the Bible
- Copyedit: Aligoté, Cabernet franc, Chenin blanc, Malbec, Robert M. Parker, Jr., Pinot blanc, Rioja (wine), Tempranillo
- Photo request: Just about all of them! Any pictures of wine regions, grape varieties or wine would be useful. In particular we need wine region maps that can be licensed for Wikipedia.
- Collaboration: Operation stub-killer, Nominations for top level importance
- Wine Improvement Drive: French wine
- Infobox: Template:Infobox grape variety, Template:Infobox Winery
- Other: Comment on the grape article template and on the grape infobox.
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