Wine Making Basics

Knowing the Basics of Wine Making

Making wine is an uncomplicated process, but there are many factors that affect the outcome of a wine product. There are five basic steps used in the wine making process that can ensure a fine wine.

The basic steps begin with harvesting, then crushing and pressing, fermentation, clarification and finally aging and bottling. Making wine begins in the vineyard with the harvesting of grapes.

The grapes must be harvested immediately after reaching the level of ripeness for the wine to be made. The perfect level of ripeness can be determined by scientific tests for sugar content and acidity. Ripeness level can also be determined by the traditional method of checking the right look, feel, taste, and smell of the grapes.    

During the wine making process, the vineyardist and winemaker may work together to determine the correct ripeness of the grapes. Grapes may be harvested by hand or by mechanical pickers. It may be advisable to pick grapes only by hand, because mechanical pickers may bruise, or otherwise damage the grapes. After harvesting, grapes are transported to a winery. Winemakers inspect the grapes before they or washed, and stems removed.

However, stems may not always be removed from grapes in the wine making process. After the grapes are washed, they will be ready for crushing. The grapes were once crushed by stomping on them, but human stomping has been replaced by mechanical crushers. The mechanical crushers are more efficient and clean in turning the grapes into must(the grape juice, skins, seeds, and pulp combined). The solids in the must are called pomace, and it is important that the seeds and pips are not crushed in the process, which gives a better tasting wine.

If a winemaker is making white wine, then the must may be pressed in order to separate the juice from the  skins, seed, and pulp. If the must is not pressed, the wine may have an unusual color or taste. Fermentation is the next step in the wine making process. However, grapes are not always crushed before the fermentation process.

Fermentation begins naturally within 12 hours of the crushing process. Special yeasts may be added in order to control the fermentation process. The fermentation process will continue until all of the natural sugar is absorbed by the yeast and yields an alcohol content of about 14 percent, which is dry wine. However, the fermentation process is usually stopped by the wine maker before it consumes all of the natural sugar, which will make a sweet wine.     

After fermentation is complete, the pomace is separated from the juice( if it is red wine) and the juice is clarified. There are several methods of clarification including filtering, and fining. Using the fining method winemakers may  add substances such as egg whites or special clays to the juice.

The substances used in the fining method will bind dead yeast cells and other impurities, then settle to the bottom of the vat. The clarified wine will then be siphoned off. After the clarification process, wine is place in wooden or stainless steel barrels for aging.

Some wines may be bottled immediately after clarification to age or to be consumed immediately. The aging process may be short, lasting for a few weeks, or long lasting for a few months or years. All wines benefit from aging, but an over-aged wine will have terrible results just like an under-aged wine.