These are all comparatively recent additions to the red wine experience. The finest red wines of today follow this general pattern, with the addition of lots of innovations over the years, such as oak barrel aging, filtration, cultivated yeasts, and modern vineyard practices. You just need some grapes, a container, and Mother Nature. Unlike beer, there's no heating involved unlike liquor, you don't need a still. Then, you wait for some ambient yeasts to convert the sugar into alcohol. At its essence, red wine may be the simplest alcoholic beverage in the world: you simply harvest some red grapes, crush them (with a press, or-if you prefer-your feet), and let them sit with their skins for a while to add color. Ah, red wine: friend to hearty dishes, enemy to white shirts.
