Approaches to Winemaking Flashcards
List the winemaking approaches
1) conventional/ modern
2) organic
3) biodynamic
4) natural
Describe conventional winemaking
Based on the foundational discovery of Louis Pasteur in the 1860s identifying yeasts and bacteria.
The aim is to produce stable wines which reliably show their full fruit character and have no faults.
1) temp control
2) use of additives and processing aids
3) manipulations (from pressing to reverse osmosis)
Factors employed are based on style, price point, health and ripeness of the grape, and the winemakers preference.
Organic winemaking
Refers to making wine with organically-grown grapes and complying with rules that restrict certain practices. These rules allow for many common additives such as cultured yeasts, yeast nutrients, and adding tannins.
Ecocert has a full list of allowed additives, where organic materials should be used if possible, and excluded practices (de-alcoholisation).
Rules for SO2 vary country to country. The EU alllows for regulated amounts but the USA does not, with the total allowed being 10 g/L (which is naturally created).
Wines can be certified by associations or the country but there is a cost element to this.
Biodynamic winemaking
Must be made with certified biodynamically-grown grapes. Demeter is the main certification body and Varys slightly per country.
Ex: UK natural yeasts are encouraged but in the US they are required unless faced with a stuck fermentation.
Adds cost.
Natural winemaking
The overall aim is ”nothing added, nothing removed.” There is no agreed upon definition but it generally means low-intervention. Ambient yeasts, minimum SO2 added, likely organic/biodynamic grapes, and often claim to be more expressive of terrior.
The first recognized certification body is France’s Vin Méthode nature including L’Association des Vins Naturels and Italys VinNatur.
Negligable impact on price as the saving on equipment is offset by the cost of small batch winemaking and sometimes certification.
