Approaches to Wine Making Flashcards
What processes are found in Conventional winemaking?
Temperature control – cold soaking; the ability to control fermentation temperatures with particular outcomes in mind (e.g. a fruity style); and temperature control in the maturation phase.
Use of additives and/or processing aids of many types – examples include adding sugar to increase potential alcohol or sweeten the final wine, adding SO2 to protect wine, use of cultured (selected) yeasts, fining agents.
Manipulations – from simple pressing and filtration to high technology such as reverse osmosis
What is the aim of Conventional winemaking and what style of wine is it used for?
The aim is to produce stable wines which reliably show their fruit character and have no faults. This approach is used for wine of all styles, quality levels and prices.
What is Organic winemaking?
Organic winemaking refers to making wine with certified organically-grown grapes and complying with rules that restrict certain practices from being performed during the winemaking process. These rules allow many common additives and processes used in conventional winemaking, including cultured yeasts and yeast nutrients and adding tannins.
What is Biodynamic winemaking?
Certified biodynamic wine must be made from certified biodynamically grown grapes. In the winery, certain processes are required or encouraged by the certifying body. Many products are not permitted (e.g. adding tannins or certain fining agents such as isinglass).
Winemakers claim that biodynamic wines are more expressive of terroir. Certification adds a small cost element to biodynamic wines. The wines are sold at every price level.
What is Natural winemaking?
The overall aim is ‘nothing added, nothing removed’. While there is no agreed definition for natural wine, in practice it usually refers to wine made with the fewest possible manipulations, fermentation by ambient yeasts and an absolute minimum of added SO2 (typically only at bottling) or with no added SO2. Natural wine can be made from conventionally or sustainably grown grapes, though many natural winemakers would argue that organic or biodynamic grapes should be used.
