Making Wine IELTS Reading Practice

Have you ever wondered why Australians—famously loyal “devotees” of beer—are gradually becoming enamored with wine? Or why the same grape variety can produce bottles with such vastly different characteristics? The reading passage “Make That Wine!” is not just a journey into the vinification process; it is also a sharp test of your ability to comprehend technical details and specialized terminology.

This article dives deep into the full content of the passage, from basic production methods to debates over vintage years. ECE will help you tackle the most complex information in the IELTS exam through the translation and detailed explanations provided below.

Reading Passage

MAKE THAT WINE!

Australia is a nation of beer drinkers. Actually, make that wine. Yes, wine has now just about supplanted beer as the alcoholic drink of choice, probably because of the extensive range of choices available and the rich culture behind them. This all adds a certain depth and intimacy to the drinking process which beer just cannot match. In addition, although wine drinkers seldom think about it, moderate consumption seems to be beneficial for the health, lowering the incidence of heart disease and various other ailments.

Wine is the product of the fermentation of grape juice, in which yeast (a fungus) consumes the natural sugars within, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide as waste. Yeast grows naturally on many varieties of grapes, often visible as a white powder, and causing fermentation directly on the plant. Thus, the discovery of wine-making was inevitable at some stage in human history. The evidence shows that this was at least 8,000 years ago in the Near East. From there, wine-making spread around the ancient Mediterranean civilisations, where the liquid was extensively produced, drunk, and traded. To this day, the biggest drinkers of wine remain the Mediterranean countries, with France leading the way.

This leads to the classification of wines, which is quite complex. It often begins with the colour: red or white. Most people do not know that the colour of wine is not due to the grapes used (whose skins are either green or purple), but to the wine-making process itself. All grape juice is clear. Red wines are produced by leaving the grape skin in contact with the juice during fermentation; white wines by not doing so. Thus, white wine can be made from dark-coloured grapes, provided that the skin is separated early, although the resultant wine may have a pinkish tinge.

A similar wine classification is based more specifically on the grape species used, giving such well-known names as Pinot Noir and Merlot. Chardonnay grapes remain one of the most widely planted, producing an array of white wines, rivaling the cabernet sauvignon grape, a key ingredient in the world’s most widely recognised, and similarly named, red wines. When one grape species is used, or is predominant, the wine produced is called varietal, as opposed to mixing the juices of various identified grapes, which results in blended wines. The latter process is often done when wine-makers, and the people who drink their product, want a consistent taste, year after year. Far from being looked down upon, it often results in some of the world’s most expensive bottles, such as the Cote Rotie wines in France.

Increasingly, however, market recognition is based on the location of the wine production, resulting in labels such as Bordeaux in France, Napa Valley in California, and the Barossa Valley in Australia. Traditional wines made in these places carry trademarks, respected by serious wine drinkers. However, an example of the blurred lines is the term ‘champagne’. This was once expected to be made from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France, with all the expertise and traditions of that area, but, despite legal attempts to trademark the term, it has become ‘semi-generic’, allowing it to be used for any wine of this type made anywhere in the world.

Finally, we come to the vinification method as a means of classification. One example is, in fact, champagne, known as a ‘sparkling’ wine. By allowing a secondary fermentation in a sealed container, it retains some of the waste carbon dioxide. Another variation is to stop the fermentation before all the natural sugars are consumed, creating dessert wines, ranging from slight to extreme sweetness. Yet again, grapes can be harvested well beyond their maximum ripeness, creating ‘late harvest wines’, or allowed to become partially dried (or ‘raisoned’), creating ‘dried grape wines’. Clearly, there are many possibilities, all producing uniquely flavoured products.

One of the best-known terms relating to wine is ‘vintage’. This signifies that the product was made from grapes that were grown in a single labeled year. If that year is eventually acknowledged to have produced exceptionally fine grapes and resultant wines (‘a good vintage’), bottles from that period are often saved for future consumption. Of course, the appreciation and assessment of wine is an inexact science, meaning that the significance of a particular vintage often promotes much speculation and disagreement. A non-vintage wine is usually a blend from the produce of two or more years, which is done, as mentioned before, for consistency and quality control.

This leads to the rich and varied world of wine assessment, and its descriptive terminology. Wine has such a variety of aromas, flavours, textures, and aftertastes that serious wine drinkers demand an agreed vocabulary so that the drinking sensations can be reliably described in writing. From bouquet to biscuity, mellow to musky, vivid to vegetal, the conceited connoisseur can perplex the listener with some really purple prose. Perhaps the opportunity to posture pretentiously with all this jargon is the main reason why wine enthusiasts are so taken with this product. Cheers!

Questions

Questions 1-4

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage One?

Write:

• TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

• FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

• NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. Wine is popular in Australia because it is healthy.

2. Yeast is white-coloured.

3. Wine is popular in the Near East.

4. Blended wines are usually cheaper.

Questions 5-10

Complete the table below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Questions 11-13

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

11. Vintage wines are

A. mostly better.

B. often preferred.

C. often discussed.

D. more costly.

12. The author thinks that wine terminology is

A. unnecessary.

B. serious.

C. good.

D. bad.

13. Wine

A. is more popular than beer, in Australia.

B. is most popular in France.

C. can be simply classified.

D. is often ‘raisoned’.

Complete Reading Translation

Make That Wine!

[Paragraph 1]

Australia is a nation of beer drinkers. Actually, make that wine. Yes, wine has now just about supplanted beer as the alcoholic drink of choice, probably because of the extensive range of choices available and the rich culture behind them. This all adds a certain depth and intimacy to the drinking process which beer just cannot match. In addition, although wine drinkers seldom think about it, moderate consumption seems to be beneficial for the health, lowering the incidence of heart disease and various other ailments.

[Paragraph 2]

Wine is the product of the fermentation of grape juice, in which yeast (a fungus) consumes the natural sugars within, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide as waste. Yeast grows naturally on many varieties of grapes, often visible as a white powder, and causing fermentation directly on the plant. Thus, the discovery of wine-making was inevitable at some stage in human history. The evidence shows that this was at least 8,000 years ago in the Near East. From there, wine-making spread around the ancient Mediterranean civilisations, where the liquid was extensively produced, drunk, and traded. To this day, the biggest drinkers of wine remain the Mediterranean countries, with France leading the way.

[Paragraph 3]

This leads to the classification of wines, which is quite complex. It often begins with the colour: red or white. Most people do not know that the colour of wine is not due to the grapes used (whose skins are either green or purple), but to the wine-making process itself. All grape juice is clear. Red wines are produced by leaving the grape skin in contact with the juice during fermentation; white wines by not doing so. Thus, white wine can be made from dark-coloured grapes, provided that the skin is separated early, although the resultant wine may have a pinkish tinge.

[Paragraph 4]

A similar wine classification is based more specifically on the grape species used, giving such well-known names as Pinot Noir and Merlot. Chardonnay grapes remain one of the most widely planted, producing an array of white wines, rivaling the cabernet sauvignon grape, a key ingredient in the world’s most widely recognised, and similarly named, red wines. When one grape species is used, or is predominant, the wine produced is called varietal, as opposed to mixing the juices of various identified grapes, which results in blended wines. The latter process is often done when wine-makers, and the people who drink their product, want a consistent taste, year after year. Far from being looked down upon, it often results in some of the world’s most expensive bottles, such as the Cote Rotie wines in France.

[Paragraph 5]

Increasingly, however, market recognition is based on the location of the wine production, resulting in labels such as Bordeaux in France, Napa Valley in California, and the Barossa Valley in Australia. Traditional wines made in these places carry trademarks, respected by serious wine drinkers. However, an example of the blurred lines is the term ‘champagne’. This was once expected to be made from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France, with all the expertise and traditions of that area, but, despite legal attempts to trademark the term, it has become ‘semi-generic’, allowing it to be used for any wine of this type made anywhere in the world.

[Paragraph 6]

Finally, we come to the vinification method as a means of classification. One example is, in fact, champagne, known as a ‘sparkling’ wine. By allowing a secondary fermentation in a sealed container, it retains some of the waste carbon dioxide. Another variation is to stop the fermentation before all the natural sugars are consumed, creating dessert wines, ranging from slight to extreme sweetness. Yet again, grapes can be harvested well beyond their maximum ripeness, creating ‘late harvest wines’, or allowed to become partially dried (or ‘raisoned’), creating ‘dried grape wines’. Clearly, there are many possibilities, all producing uniquely flavoured products.

[Paragraph 7]

One of the best-known terms relating to wine is ‘vintage’. This signifies that the product was made from grapes that were grown in a single labeled year. If that year is eventually acknowledged to have produced exceptionally fine grapes and resultant wines (‘a good vintage’), bottles from that period are often saved for future consumption. Of course, the appreciation and assessment of wine is an inexact science, meaning that the significance of a particular vintage often promotes much speculation and disagreement. A non-vintage wine is usually a blend from the produce of two or more years, which is done, as mentioned before, for consistency and quality control.

[Paragraph 8]

This leads to the rich and varied world of wine assessment, and its descriptive terminology. Wine has such a variety of aromas, flavours, textures, and aftertastes that serious wine drinkers demand an agreed vocabulary so that the drinking sensations can be reliably described in writing. From bouquet to biscuity, mellow to musky, vivid to vegetal, the conceited connoisseur can perplex the listener with some really purple prose. Perhaps the opportunity to posture pretentiously with all this jargon is the main reason why wine enthusiasts are so taken with this product. Cheers!

Key Vocabulary Summary

• Supplant (v): To replace (usually something older or less popular).

• Inevitable (adj): Unavoidable, certain to happen.

• Predominant (adj): Having superior power or influence; prevailing.

• Generic (adj): General, not protected by a trademark.

• Vintage (n): The year or place in which wine, especially wine of high quality, was produced.

• Connoisseur (n): An expert judge in matters of taste (art, food, wine).

• Jargon (n): Special words or expressions used by a particular profession or group that are difficult for others to understand.

Answer Explanations

1. FALSE

• Keywords: popular, healthy.

• Analysis: Paragraph 1 states that wine is popular due to its “extensive range of choices” and “rich culture.” The health benefits (“beneficial for the health”) are mentioned as additional information (“In addition”), not the primary reason for its popularity.

2. TRUE

• Keywords: Yeast, white-coloured.

• Analysis: Paragraph 2 states: “Yeast… often visible as a white powder.”

3. NOT GIVEN

• Keywords: Wine, popular, Near East.

• Analysis: Paragraph 2 mentions that wine-making was discovered in the Near East at least 8,000 years ago, but there is no information confirming whether it is popular there today.

4. FALSE

• Keywords: Blended wines, cheaper.

• Analysis: Paragraph 4 confirms that blended wines often result in “some of the world’s most expensive bottles.”

5. grape skin(s)

Analysis: Paragraph 3 states that red wines use “grape skin” during fermentation.

6. cabernet sauvignon

Analysis: Paragraph 4 mentions cabernet sauvignon as an example of a well-known red wine.

7. varietal

Analysis: Paragraph 4 states that if one grape species is predominant, the wine is called “varietal.”

8. respect

Analysis: Paragraph 5 states that traditional wines are “respected” by serious wine drinkers.

9. vinification method

Analysis: Paragraph 6 begins: “Finally, we come to the vinification method as a means of classification.”

10. natural sugars

Analysis: Paragraph 6 discusses dessert wine, which is made by stopping fermentation before “natural sugars” are fully consumed.

11. C (often discussed)

Analysis: Paragraph 7 states that the “significance of a particular vintage often promotes much speculation and disagreement” (speculation and disagreement implies frequent discussion).

12. C (good)

Analysis: Although the author is slightly ironic (“posture pretentiously”), they acknowledge that these terms allow sensations to be “reliably described in writing.”

13. B (is most popular in France)

Analysis: Paragraph 2 confirms: “…the biggest drinkers of wine remain the Mediterranean countries, with France leading the way.”

Studying the “Make That Wine!” passage helps you understand production processes and international wine classification standards. This ECE article has provided the necessary vocabulary traps and logical explanations for each question to help you feel more confident with Passage 1. This is a solid foundation for improving your reading comprehension of technical texts and boosting your Reading score sustainably.