Beverages
Alcoholic beverages are beverages containing alcohol as the main intoxicating ingredient, which are divided into:
- Non-distilled (wine, beer)
- Distilled spirits (ouzo, tsipouro, cognac, rum, vodka, etc.)
- Liquor (liqueur, vermouth)
Wine
Wine is the product of the fermentation (finished or not) of fresh grapes or must from fresh grapes. Any other similar product which does not comply with the above conditions shall be described as artificial wine, such as raisins, cider, etc. Wine is an alcoholic beverage and is generally produced from grapes, grape marc or other sugary fruits.
The quality of the wine depends on the type of vine from which it comes, its ripening, its type and the season of harvest. Depending on their colour, olives are divided into white, black and red, while from the fermentation process they are divided into dry, sweet and sparkling. There are also special types of wine: raisin, mastellia, deuteria, retsina and sparkling or champagne.
In the laboratory, the analyses carried out for the different types of wine are as follows:
- Alcoholic strength by volume
- Baume grades
- Active acidity
- Total acidity
- Volatile acidity
- Bronze
- Free Sulphites
- Sorbic-Benzoic acid
- Malic acid-Lactic acid
- Total Sulphites
- Saccharides
Finally, you are given advice by the company's oenologist on how to improve your wine according to the results of the chemical analyses.
Tsipouro
Tsipouro is a Greek alcoholic beverage which is made by distilling stems (or straw or tsipouro), i.e. from the racks (residues) of grapes left after pressing and extraction of the must for wine production. It is also possible to distill whole grapes, in which case the yield is higher, or to distill finished wine. Either white or red grapes may be used.
During the distillation process, various aromatic substances, such as aniseed, fennel, etc. are sometimes added to the still, in addition to the grapes. The tsipouro is often distilled a second time, since this improves its quality.
Of particular importance is the determination of phthalates in tsipouros as there is a high risk of contamination of the drink during its production or during its distribution from plastic containers, tubes etc.