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Whether in conversation with a wine-loving friend or even with people who do not have this preference, it is normal to be asked about why wine brings out so much passion in its fans, who usually highlight their perceptions of the characteristics of the products.

So, what makes wine special?

Wine is one among many other beverages. And don't misunderstand, many of them are just as special as wine, but in their own way -- a whiskey, a brandy, a coffee, or a handcrafted beer, for example. But wine is unique in some ways, as I will try to explain ahead.

Being a fermented product, it is the result of a metabolic process. Although in biochemistry fermentation is considered strictly as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen, this concept is transcended when the spectrum is broadened to food: it becomes the process of microbiological transformation that brings desirable changes to a food or beverage. And from this process, there are still new possibilities, whether with biological aging, or distillation, fermentation can be just one step in obtaining unique beverages.

But what differentiates wine from other beverages?

To try to make myself clear, I will try to use examples. A draft beer at a gathering of friends can be very pleasant. Or the appreciation of a brandy or whiskey, at the end of the day, alone or with others while the colors of the sky change. A good cup of coffee at the start of a new day. These are situations in which we can appreciate a beverage with fullness, perceiving its characteristics that distinguish it from others of its type or category. But wine, whatever it is, allows another type of experience.

The bottle of wine, by itself, has the potential to reveal a complete story.

When we open a bottle of wine, in the ritual that, more than anything else, is what maintains the tradition of using a cork stopper, we allow the expression of that wine, of a vintage, of one or more varieties, from one or more vineyards, each with its own soil and climate conditions, managed in certain ways, in a cycle with unique climate, vinified with variable practices, decided by one or more professionals with unique experiences, who may adopt more modern practices, or reaffirm their belief in classical oenology or ancient practices of wine regions.

And this is how the wine reveals its story, in a dialogue that, like other good conversations, takes place without haste, as the wine, usually in a reduced form, will show its personality as oxidation reactions occur. Molecules transform, aromas express themselves or become more volatile, as the wine rests or dances in the glass.

Allow and appreciate this evolution. Observe, taste, savor as the exaltation of characteristics occurs. And just like life, appreciate the ephemerality of the wine experience. It cannot be kept back. Like ephemeral art, it does not exist for a long period of time. When we say the word ephemeral we know that these are such short-lived moments. We realize in life that there are so many moments that last only a few moments, but that make our transitory existence so beautiful and valid.

Enjoy the history and existence that each bottle of wine has to offer.

-- Cassandro Emer - Enologist

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