Wine is far older than the recorded history of mankind. Basically, only two ingredients are needed, yeast and fruit juice. Wine was an important part of the diet in the Ancient Rome. Wine making technology improved a lot during the time of the Roman Empire. Many of today's wine regions in Europe can be traced back to the time of the Roman Empire.
While any fruit juice can be used to make wine, grape juice is by far the most popular. A common misconception is that red wine is made from red grape juice and white wine from white or colorless grape juice. But in reality almost all grape juice is virtually colorless, regardless if the grapes are red, dark, yellow or green. This explains why Champagne has a yellow color despite that red grapes are included.
Red wine gets its color by letting the skins soak in the juice until the red color bleeds out. Not only do the grape skins give the red wine its color, but also tannin. Tannin is what gives red wines a complexity that is beyond that of most white wines. It also contributes to the aging process and is one of the main reasons why red wines often age better than white wines.
Red wine should be served at the proper temperature. If it is too cold, the subtle flavors and textures will be lost. Too warm and the wine will taste somewhat flat and totally non-refreshing.
Nowadays, a lot of places make good red wine but the most famous red wines are still made in Bordeaux.
Of course, we also have the popular topic: Is red wine healthy?