There are a few steps and processes which go into the making of wines and the final evolution that appears magically on our tables.
When to Pick the Grapes
This is a crucial step in the process of wine making and as such should be taken seriously. Picking the grapes at the wrong time could yield different results to the ones you were expecting. The decision to pick the grapes depends to a very great extent on the weather conditions. For instance, if it’s very sunny then the grapes should be picked in the cooler night time environment.
Then again, there’s also the determining factor of the grape variety itself. This combined with the style of wine you want, i.e. dry or sweet, will also be a factor in making the right decision. And then you also have the acidity levels of the grape to check, the sugar levels, the Ph levels and so on and so forth.
Picking the Grapes
Having made the decision to pick the grapes you can now move on to the actual process of picking the grapes. Depending on the size of the vineyard the picking operation varies.
Generally though, you’ll find that containers are placed in easy-to-get-to places, and that most times the grapes will be handpicked. The grapes will then be rushed to the crushing platform where they will go through another check before they will be weighed in and then processed.
It is important that the grapes arrive at the crush platform while they are still fresh. So if the vineyard is a big one, then the grape picking operation will either be carried out mechanically, or with a staggering number of people at hand to ensure the grapes are picked and delivered within about eight hours. The time will naturally vary from vineyard to vineyard, but the urgency to get them off as soon as possible doesn’t.
De-Stemming the Grapes
After all the visual checks have been performed, and the grapes have been weighed in and so forth, they will next be dumped into a de-stemming machine. Here, the stems of the grapes will be removed to avoid mixing in with the grapes, as they are rather astringent and have a bitter flavor to them.
The Grape Skin
Since the skin of the grape is where the greater flavors and aromas are stored, most grapes are given a 24 hour skin contact time, where they are allowed to interact with the skin.
Pressing the Grapes
Depending upon the type of wine to be made the grapes are then either skinned, or are left intact with the skin still on. This is done when the grapes are sent through the wine press. In this machine the grape is sent through the machine to extract the juice, and the skin and seeds are separated from the grape.
Cold settling
The grape juice or “must” is then cold-settled and racked fresh from the grape press. This is to separate any stray bits of skin which might have traveled with the juice. This is mainly done for white wine grapes as the skin is not part of the fermentation process.
Fermentation
The grape juice is then sent to be fermented. The fermenting process happens as a result of the yeast that is added to the juice. The vats or barrels are then sealed and fermentation begins. The yeast will transform the grape juice into wine over a period of time. This varies with the grape variety, the wine variety intended, and other small little details.
Since the yeast breaks down the sugars in the grape juice into carbon dioxide and alcohol, the bubbles that form as a result of the carbon dioxide are released through a small vent. This is where the champagne making process changes, in that it goes through a second fermentation process where the carbon dioxide bubbles are trapped in and sealed into the wine, thereby creating the bubbly wine.
Racking
Once the fermentation of the wine is complete, the racking process begins. This is to clear out the yeast that has collected in the bottom of the fermentation barrel. The wine is pumped out leaving the yeast behind, and this process may take place more than once before the wine can be deemed clear.
Fining
This process involves clearing out excess tannins or proteins which might disturb the proper balance of the wine.
Cold stabilization
This process makes the acids that are naturally present in the wines, stable.
Filtering
Not all wines require filtering but some do, and this is accomplished by using the necessary filtering equipment.
Bottling
This is the last step in wine making, and often many years might have passed between the decision to pick the grapes, to the actual part of bottling the wines ready to ship out.
This is the process though, which brings us closer to the wines, as this is the time when we, the consumer, are allowed access to the wines.
