How Wine is Made

The Basics of Winemaking

There is no ‘one way’ to make wine. A winemaker has to make several choices along the way, some of which may be regulated by the area in which the wine is made, and some of which might be influenced by market demand. The first choice is whether the wine will be white, red or pink.

If white wine is the choice, the grapes are crushed and then pressed (leaving only the clear juice) before the fermentation begins. The fermentation is started with the addition of yeasts, either ambient or cultivated, which convert those natural grape sugars into alcohol. The fermentation can be slow or fast, warm, or cool - each twist adds its own stamp to the end product. The type of vessel used for fermentation is also a choice: if fruitiness and purity of the final wine is desired, then stainless steel is used; if some softening and complexity is the goal, then oak is used as the vessel (and the kind of oak used triggers a whole new set of choices). A white wine may be aged for a period on its lees (sur lie in French or sobre lias in Spanish) which can add a buttery, creamy richness to the wine. A white winemaker also chooses whether or not to allow a secondary fermentation to occur that is called malolactic fermentation. This involves the conversion of malic acids (which have flavors of green apples) into lactic acids (which give the wine a creamy, buttery softness). Filtration and fining can be carried out before the wine is bottled.

If red wine is the choice, the grapes are crushed and spend some time with their skins, where the color, flavors and tannins reside - a process known as maceration, which occurs before and during fermentation. The longer the period of maceration, the more extracted, inky and concentrated the juice becomes. A winemaker may choose to ferment with the stems, which can add some structure, but can also soak up some of the color. The same kinds of options exist for red wine as they did for white: length of fermentation, temperature, vessel type, etc. The new wine is pressed off its lees, the skins and residue from the grape.  It then enters into its aging regime (or not) in either wood (use of old or young, large or small, and American or French) or stainless steel. A wide array of aging regimes is available to the winemaker before the wine is bottled and dressed.

If pink wines are the choice, then the process falls in between the two. After a short period of maceration, the wine is pressed and undergoes fermentation. Pink wines will have little, if any, contact with oak.

The infinite intricacy of the winemaking process is just one of the many components that makes wine so fascinating. The sheer artistry of the winemaker provides us with limitless opportunities to explore and enjoy such rich complexity.