Vinification

Or winemaking in laymen’s terms is the production of wine, starting with the fruit, fermentation, aging, and bottling the final product. The science of winemaking is known as enology. There are two categories to winemaking; still wine production and sparkling wine production. Still wine is non-carbonated while sparkling wine is carbonated.

There are eleven steps in the process to make wine in which include:

Harvesting The date of harvest is based off several factors according to each winemaker and their winemaking philosophy or style. The ripeness of the grape is measured by the sweetness or Brix reading alongside the Acid level. Brix otherwise known as sugar is affected by many factors including heat, rain, or frost. When the fruit is ready the next major decision involves hand or machine picking. The harvest season is August through October in the Northern Hemisphere while the season is February through April in the Southern Hemisphere.

Destemming followed by Crushing The process of removing the grape from the stem is done carefully as to not break the seeds (which house a lot of tannins) adding tannins to the wine. Crushing the berries releases the free run juice to start the fermentation cycle.

Primary Fermentation Is the process in which yeast converts sugar into alcohol. With the addition of yeast or native yeast from the vineyard the conversion happens in open top vessels sometimes described as aerobic fermentations. Cold soaking is a technique applied to unfermented grape juice to extract color and aroma. Extended maceration is a technique applied to feremented grape juice to extract color, tannin and structure to the wine. Primary fermentation releases 70% of juice from the berry called, “free-run.”

Pressing Is the process of mechanically squeezing the remaining juice from the grape skins.

Malolactic Fermentation is a process in which converting malic acid to lactic acid creating a softer tasting wine from the sharp green apple.This process may also be known as a secondary anaerobic fermentation since it happens in the barrel.

Cold Stabilization is a method used to keep tartaric acid crystals also known as wine crystals from forming after the wine was bottled. It is the act of cooling the wine to the point of freezing for two weeks.

Laboratory Testing is the primary source of quality control that goes beyond the winemakers sense of taste and smell.

Blending is the process of combining two components to make a wine more complex and structurally balanced.

Fining is the process of removing unwanted material from wine while it is in the cellar. It works in tandem with clarification and stabilization process.

Filtering is a final step before bottling to remove particles or elements like yeast or bacteria in the finished wine by forcing wine through filter pads. There are trhee grades to filter pads; coarse, polish and sterile. There are three main methods to filtering; gravity flow, hand pump and power pump.

Bottling is the final phase to winemaking. First step is to sterilize the bottles and then sparge the bottle with Nitrogen to ensure quality and purity. Fill the bottle with wine and close the top with a cork. Follow up with a cap and label to finish the desired look of your newly created wine.