Feature Chemistry

The World of Wine

Can chemical analysis confirm a wine's authenticity?

By Damaris Christensen

- More than 2 years ago

There’s a romance to wine unmatched by most agricultural products. Making wine, with all its complex flavors, remains as much an art as a science.

When grapes stay on the vine, their sugar content increases, as does the concentration of phenols, organic compounds that contribute to the wine’s color and body.