A Chardonnay wine is just that: wine made from Chardonnay grapes. (Yeah, yeah. We can talk about the 75% rule, but let’s stay on target.) Spirits, when viewed the same way, is just as straight forward. So that being said, let’s review the main categories of full-proof spirits in a simple, clear way.

Basic wine making consists of 5 main steps: harvesting, crushing and pressing, fermentation, clarification, aging and bottling. Arguably, one of the major factors when it comes to flavor is the time at which the grapes are harvested.