葡萄酒是用葡萄果实或葡萄汁，经过发酵酿制而成的酒精饮料。在水果中，由于葡萄的葡萄糖含量较高，贮存一段时间就会发出酒味，因此常常以葡萄酿酒。葡萄酒是目前世界上产量最大、普及最广的单糖酿造酒。早在六千年以前，在盛产葡萄的地中海区域，两河流域的苏美尔人和尼罗河流域的古埃及人就会酿造葡萄酒。有趣的是，在舞蹈文化中，有一种葡萄酒舞是在酿酒用葡萄丰收时，庆祝的团体舞蹈。在古埃及文化中，葡萄酒（红酒）和血相关联，这种象征关系也影响了附近地区产生的的宗教。在中国文化中，与葡萄酒有关的诗词文学始自汉朝，多视葡萄酒为一种美酒。

Wine (from Latin vinum) is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grapes or other fruits. Due to a natural chemical balance, grapes ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, water, or other nutrients. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts produce different styles of wine. These variations result from the complex interactions between the biochemical development of the grape, the reactions involved in fermentation, the terroir (the special characteristics imparted by geography, geology, climate and plant genetics) and subsequent appellation (the legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown), along with human intervention in the overall process.