Light Wines

When people are talking about wine, they are normally referring to Light Wines. A light wine is still. This means the wine is not sparkling or fizzy.

Wines in this category will normally have 8-15% alcohol, with the majority containing 11.5-14%. Many light wines are named after the region where they are made. For example, Bordeaux/Burgundy/Alsace from France, Rioja from Spain and Chianti/Soave from Italy.

In addition, the wine label will always indicate the name of grapes used, such as Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sparkling Wines

During the alcoholic fermentation, carbon dioxide is produced as one of the by-products. If the gas is not allow to escape and trapped in the wine when bottled, a sparkling wine is produced.

Popular sparkling wines include, Champagne from France, Cava from Spain and Asti from Italy and Sekt from Germany.

Fortified Wines

Liqueur Wines is the name in EC countries equivalent to fortified wines. High-strength grape spirit is added to a wine during fermentation or after fermentation depending the wine style to be achieved. Therefore, the wine is fortified to have a higher alcohol level, usually between 15-22%.

Some popular fortified wines include Sherry from Spain and Port/Madeira from Portugal.