Chapter 5 - Winemaking

Question 1

What are the five steps of winemaking?

Answer 1

• Crushing: splitting grape skins to release some of the grape juice
• Pressing: crushed grapes are squeezed to extract as much liquid as possible
• Alcoholic fermentation: Yeast added, produces alcohol and CO2. Stops when sugars are eaten. Result is a dry white wine
• Storage or maturation: storage is the time prior to bottling, maturation in e.g. oak may take longer
• Packaging: Glass bottles most common

Question 2

What are the six steps of red wine production?

Answer 2

• Skins of black grapes included to extract colour and tannins
• Crushing, alcoholic fermentation, draining, pressing, storage, packaging

Question 3

What should you do with the cap of a red wine during alcoholic fermentation?

Answer 3

• Tannin and colour extraction from cap that lots on top of fermenting grape juice needs extra steps
• Punching down: plunger used to push cap down into the liquid
• Pumping over: liquid from bottom is pumped up through a hose

Question 4

How do you make dry rosé wines?

Answer 4

• Short maceration: black grapes are used, fermenting wine is drained from the skins after a few hours
• Blending: blending red with white wine (not permitted in Europe)

Question 5

How do you make dry white wines?

Answer 5

• Grapes are crushed, skins disposed off

- Crushing, pressing, alcohol fermentation, storage/maturation, packaging

Question 6

How do you make dry sweet wines?

Answer 6

• Concentrated grape sugars: yeast cannot eat all sugars, e.g. Tokaji Aszu from Hungary
• Removing yeasts via filters
• Killing the yeast: fortification (raise alcohol level to 15-20°). Alcohol kills yeast
• Add sugar from grapes

Question 7

What are the options of a winemaker to adjust wines?

Answer 7

• Adjustments: small adjustments in amount of sugar/acid in grape juice
• Sugar: increase sugar levels in grape juice
• Add acid
• Temperature changes during fermentation: red (20-32°), rose (similar to white, short maceration), white (12-22)
• Stainless steel/concrete vessels: for fermentation and storage
• Oak vessels: aromas depend on age and size of barrels as well as toasting (sweet-spice and charred wood aromas). New oak vs. old oak. Watertight, but not airtight
• Oak alternatives: oak chips (cheaper)
• Malolactic conversion: add buttery aromas after alcoholic fermentation carried out by bacteria. Riesling (usually prevented), Chardonnay (may benefit from it)
• Lees: Yeast dies and falls to the bottom of wine, often kept to add body and extra flavours (biscuit, bread)
• Blending: use different wines to ensure consistency or complexity

Question 8

What happ

Answer 8

• Most wines don’t get better in a bottle
• Fruit flavours are replaced with vegetal notes
• Some wines do benefit from aging in a bottle
• Changes to white wine: lemon to gold to amber colour. Intensity of colour becomes deeper. Tertiary characteristics such as dried apricot, honey, nut and spice
• Changes to red wine: ruby to garnet to tawny, paler in intensity. Tertiary aromas such as fig, prune, meat, wet leaves. Deposits can form. Wine will be served decanted typically