A .

WINE INTRODUCTION:

1.Introduction : alcoholic beverage made from the juice of grapes. wine is also made from the fermented juice of pears, apples, berries, and even flowers. Wine naturally contains about 85 to 89 percent water, 10 to 14 percent alcohol, less than 1 percent fruit acids. The main grapevine cultivated for wine production is the European wine grape ,native to areas along the Black, Caspian, and Mediterranean seas, Because this grape plant prefers warm, dry summers and mild winters. Natural factors make wine unique (terroir) : these factors include local climate (temperature, rainfall, and sunlight), location of grapevines (altitude and slope), and soil (structure, composition, and water drainage). This is why the climate in Syria is good for growing and producing wine.

2. history of wine: The practice of making wine is as old as our most ancient civilizations, and wine has played a central role in human culture for more than 8,000 years.

archaeological evidence suggests that wine was being made in the region that is now Iraq and eastern Syria about 5,000 years ago. wine was accepted as payment for taxes. The Code of Hammurabi (2000 BC), in the time of early Greek civilization, about 3,500 years ago, wine was a popular beverage as well as a sacred drink. In Greek mythology, Dionysus was the god of wine. The ancient Greeks were the first to cultivate wine for commercial purposes. In roman mythology, Bacchus was the roman god of wine. The alcohol in wine, called ethanol, is present in sufficient concentrations to kill diseases so throughout history, wine was often safer to drink than water or milk therefore ancient civilizations regarded wine as a gift from the gods because it protected against diseases.

B. WINE PRODUCTION:

The first harvest of grapes can be made in the third year after planting, and a full crop suitable for commercial use can be expected after five years. Grapevines may produce fruit for 20 to over 100 years.

While the basic production elements of wine are simple, manipulation of the grapes, juice or must, and wine to produce the desired combination of flavors and aromas is very difficult, and many recognize this process as an art form. The first three stages of making wines differentiate between the red wine and the white wine. Red wine start as : red wine grapes are passed through a mechanical destemmercrusher (1) to remove the stems and release the juice. The juice, stems, and skins, now called must, is transferred to a fermentation tank (2), where it remains for up to 14 days while yeasts slowly convert the grape sugar to alcohol. The juice, now considered wine, is separated from the skins and stems by passing it through a press (3).

While white wine use a different approach resembled in the following steps: the grapes are separated from the skins and stems before fermentation. The grapes are passed through a destemmercrusher (A), and the must is immediately passed through a press (B) that applies pressure to separate the juice from the skins and stems, then fermentation (C).

While the blush or ros wine is light pink in color and is produced from red grapes not fermented with the skins and seed (must).

After that the process go similar for both red, ros and white wine : The wine is pumped into barrels (4), often made of oak, where it continues to ferment and develop in a process known as aging. During aging, residue settles to the bottom of the barrel and forms a sediment called the lees. Wine makers may separate the wine from the lees in a process called racking, transferring the wine to clean casks (5). Finally, the wine is mechanically bottled (6), corked, and packaged for distribution.

After fermentation, the wine maker has to decide how the wine will be aged. Aging of wine significantly affects the flavors and aromas present, and several different techniques are used. For example, wine aged in oak barrels picks up some flavor and aroma characters from the oak wood, a very desirable quality in some wines. Once the wine has been aged, it is ready to be put into bottles, where it may continue to slowly age for many years.

C. CLASSIFICATION OF WINE:

Three basic groups of wines are most easily distinguishable for the consumer: table wines, sparkling wines, and fortified wines. 1. Table wines: also known as still or natural wines, are produced in many different styles and make up the majority of wines on the market. Traditionally consumed as part of a meal, table wines contain between 10 and 14 percent alcohol and are further classified by their color and their sugar content. wines can be white, red, or pink in color. Most table wines are fermented until they are dry(all the grape sugar has been turned to alcohol) or sweet or off-dry wines are made by stopping the fermentation before all the sugar is gone or by adding grape juice back to the wine afterwards. 2. Sparkling wine: is made from table wine that has undergone a second fermentation. The wine maker adds a measured amount of sugar,(also called Champagne). When the sparkling wine is poured into a glass, the gas bubbles to the surface.

3. Fortified wines contain additional alcohol and are usually consumed in small amounts as aperitifs before meals or dessert wines after a meal. Popular examples are port and sherry. In port wine making, which originated in Portugal, the grapes are crushed and the fermentation started but then stopped by the addition of more alcohol, the resulting wine is sweet and has an alcohol content that is 5 to 10 percent higher than table wine (20 % to 25 %) alcohol. Grapes harvested when they are not ripe may be low in sugar and may not ferment properly. Overly ripe grapes have very high sugar content and produce wine high in alcohol. 4. Brandy is made from wine but is classified as distilled liquor, not as wine. Brandy is distilled from wine to concentrate the alcohol in the wine. after distillation the brandy is aged. Bottled brandy typically contains 40 percent alcohol making it the strongest grape-based spirit in western civilization.

D. STORING AND SERVING WINE: 1. STORING: If stored properly, wines can be aged for many years without spoiling or losing quality. The most important factor in wine spoilage is air exposure. Oxygen from the air permits the spoiling of the wine. While the wine is aging in a barrel, wine makers take great care to limit the air space in the barrel by regularly adding wine to the barrels to fill vacant space formed as the wine evaporates. Wine bottles should be stored horizontally, enabling contact between the wine in the bottle and the cork. This prevents the cork from drying out and letting oxygen to seep into the bottle. Bottled wines can be stored for decades in a cellar at low temperature, approximately 16 C.

2. SERVING: The flavors of different wines are very distinctive and some are considered to taste better with certain kinds of foods. A wine with a very delicate flavor goes best with lightly flavored foods rather than with strong flavors that overpower the wine, making it appear tasteless. Likewise, if the wine is too strong in flavor for the food, the food tastes bland. Great chefs are considered masters of pairing wine with food so each enhances the flavor and aroma of the other (DINE & WINE Restaurants chain).

3.WINE GLASSES:

White and ros Wine Glass : White and ros wines are generally served chilled, normal refrigerator temperature of 4 to 10 C is sufficient so many find that when served in smaller glasses than the red wine glasses the white wines hold their cooler temperatures longer. Bordeaux or red Wine Glass : Bordeaux or red wines are often served in large-sized bowl glasses that enhances the complex aromas, and at room temperature to release the aromas characters resulting in a better smell and taste than it would if it were chilled. Champagne Flute : Sparkling wines are often served in tall, flute-shaped glasses to displays the bubbles as they rise to the surface and for slowing the escape of bubbles. Snifter : brandy or cognac, are traditionally served in balloon-shaped snifter glasses. The snifters shape make it easy to cup in the hands, holding the glass this way warms the liquid inside enhancing the liquors favorable characteristics.

E. GLOBALE STATICS , CASE STUDY SYRIAN STATICS:

1. GLOBAL STATICS: By about 1875 French wines dominated world trade, and since that time European wine industries have led the world in international wine trade. There are 8 million hectares (20 million acres) of vineyards in the world producing 69 million tons of grapes each year. About 29 billion liters (8 billion gallons) of wine are made from those grapes. The biggest wine producers worldwide are France (19 percent), Italy (17 percent), and Spain (13 percent). The United States is the fourth largest producer in the world, producing about 9 percent of the worlds wine.

CHARTS

PORTO WINE

INTRO: Porto is fortified wine named after Porto the second largest city in Portugal.

PORTO PRODUCTS LINE: Basic products or popular styles are: RUBY, TAWNY, WHITE. RUBY: young, full-bodied, fruity, ready to drink, aged for three years in wood then bottled, usually consumed after dinner as a dessert wine, and goes very well with cheese, chocolate and dried fruits. TAWNY: red wine, aged longer than RUBY become smoother and lighter and takes brownish style, can be used as a dessert wine or as an aperitif (preferred chilled). PORT OR WHITE: can be sweet or dry, aged usually between 3-5 years, consumed chilled as an aperitif or summer drink.

Special category or premium wines, which there prices are much higher than a standard Port because they have special flavors, colors or their process is longer or more complex. Premium wines are: VINTAGE, LATE BOTTLED VINTAGE and PORT WITH INDICATION OF AGE.

VINTAGE: produced with the grapes of an outstanding year, bottled two years after the harvest and it matures in the bottle thereafter, for 10 years at minimum, but 15 or 20 years might be needed, considered the highest quality Port produce and have the higher price.

LATE BOTTLED VINTAGE (LBV): also made from the grapes of a special year but have lower quality from VINTAGE, bottled between the forth and the sixth year after the harvest, filtered before bottling, ready to drink and dont need further maturation in the bottle.

PORT WITH INDICATION OF AGE: can be 10, 20, 30 years old and in some rare cases 40 years old, made refreshed by the addition of younger wine, already aged and dont need further aging in the bottle.

THE MARKETS AND THE CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR: Port is shipped to more than 100 countries, but is sales are highly concentrated in just a few markets, the top three are: (1-France, 2-Portugal, 3-United Kingdom) which resemble more than 50% of total sales, each have their own patterns of consumer behavior. France: considered the leading market with almost a quarter of total sales of Port (24, 5%), having a very typical profile: Consumers interested generally in cheap and young Ports, and have a little or no brand loyalty; price is a critical factor for the consumer and the distributor who retail under his label with a minimal influence over the market and low profit margin. United Kingdom: in contrast to France the UK, the third top market, is the largest market for the premium Ports, which represent the majority of the total volume consumed there. Portugal: the second leading market accounting for 15% of total sales. is neither a low quality nor premium market, consumer prefers standard quality Port like TAWNY and WHITE Port, brands have a heavy impact on consumer preferences (high loyalty) .

+Syrian Wine consumption: -Consumption vary from season to another ,while it reach its peak by mid-winter and in the holiday season 35% ,it decline in Summer to reach an average of 12% of the total alcoholic spirit sold in the market. -Red wine represents 57.5% of wine sells in Syria Second in ORDER, comes the White wine with 22.5% Rose wine comes third, representing 20% -Since the young consumers between the ages of16-25 in Syria are the majority Of alcoholic beverages buyers ,therefore ,there taste and choose will influence the market. A lot of this majority have moved on to the new hip mixed vodka cocktails ,which resulted in decline in the market share of the Classic spirits, such as: Vodka Beer, Whiskey and Wine. -Older consumers tend to buy more of the Classic Spirits, Having more loyalty toward these product. -Wine kept its place, as the No.1 alcoholic Gift .due to its low alcoholic percentage ,and since everybody can use it from cocking to drinking or to be stored for later use, or as a collectors item. -The Syrian market is dominated by foreign Wine makers, and they are : -Lebanese manufactures: lead by Kassatly Chtaura ,they dominate the(Medium priced-good) wine sector. -Spanish Manufactures which dominates the (upper medium,a bit more expensive than the labanese). -French Manufactures which dominates the(Premium, affordable expensive) wine sector.

-Syrian Manufactures: They dominate the lower, the cheapest wine dominates the budget sector. -most of the wine produces in Syria ,is made in small towns and villages for the family use in the winter and its not for sale. -the laws limitation on promoting and advertising alcohol and tobacco ,which limit the wine makers opportunity.