Wine Types refers to the two different classifications of Vineyard or Grape Wines and Orchard or Fruit Wines. Here we will discuss the differences in these wine types from an historical and more recent perspective.

Vineyard Wines - Vineyard wines also known as grape wines are without a doubt the first thing that comes to mind whenever one thinks of wine types. It is truly hard to ascertain exactly when people started harvesting grapes and fermenting the juice into wine. What is more, we may never know exactly when the juice of the harvested grape was first extracted and then allowed to ferment into a beverage that gave us a buzz - the sort of buzz that took away the worries of the day and put a smile on our face. When and where this happened and for whom doesn't really matter. However, we can be sure that these were the first people to experience that Wine is the Essence of Life.

Various writings and scientific research have provided us with some insight into the age and history of vineyard wine production and usage - also known as viticulture and sometimes mistakenly referred to as viniculture. Through science and the efforts of archaeologists, we have learned of the existence of fossil grape vines that date back 60 million years. Whether these were planted and harvested or how they may have been used is another matter altogether, something that we will never really know. For more on the History of Wine and Wine Types, click here.

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A modern vineyard in the Hunter Valley, Australia

Vineyard wines have never stopped growing in popularity. Other drinks and beverage have come along over the centuries but vineyard wines have never lost their appeal. In fact, their popularity has grown to such an extent that wine growing regions have popped up all over the world. This was especially true during the 20th century and has resulted in the addition of several remarkable wine producing regions, vineyards and wines being now available to further enhance the selections that had enthralled us for years. These days, we have wines of outstanding quality available worldwide from the traditional regions of Europe, the Mediterranean and North America as well as Australia, Chile, New Zealand, Brazil, South Africa and many more countries.

With so much wine available, maybe this is part of the reason that we believe that Wine is the Essence of Life rather than water.

Orchard Wines - As we mentioned, the two Wine Types are Vineyard wines and Orchard wines also known as fruit wines. They have a lengthy history too. However, even less is known of the history of fruit wines. Historical research has unveiled the existence of a wine style beverage made of mead (honey) and berries, especially in medieval times. Perhaps one of the most often mentioned fruit wine in books and stories of this period is Elderberry wine. Another ancient orchard varietal is plum wine. Plum wine (Umeshu) has been produced in China and Japan for centuries. Even the Irish have been known to make plum wine, just for something to do. These days, it is enjoyed in numerous parts of the world but is especially popular in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore.

Wine types of both categories have numerous different varietals. But when it comes to orchard or fruit wines, there seems to be no limit to the varietal possibilities or the global scope of production, only impacted by the availability of a base fruit. It would seem that virtually every fruit that we can think of has been turned into a wine and enjoyed somewhere in world. Obviously some become more popular than others. There is at least one orchard wine producer in every state of the US taking advantage of the local, more than ample, fruit production of that area. Yet another reason why some enterprises turn to orchard wine production is the climate of their particular region that may not be conducive to the growth of quality vineyard variety grapes. This is particularly true in the more northern regions of North America and Australia.

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So no matter which wine type you prefer to accompany your meal, either a vineyard or grape wine or an orchard or fruit wine, we are sure that you will agree that Wine is the Essence of Life.

It is worthy of note that, in the European Union, the word 'wine' is legally defined as the fermented juice of grapes only. This legal definition, like so many others in the wine industry that stem from Europe and the European Union, has been accepted and adopted throughout the majority of the world. Consequently, when we hear or see reference to wine, it is reasonable to presume that the reference is in fact to vineyard or grape wine. Orchard or fruit wines on the other hand will be typically referred to by the predominant fruit used for that wine, for example, cranberry wine, apple wine, peach wine, etc..