Fermentation & Still Wine (WHITE WINE)Production Flashcards
What is the term for the basic art and science of winemaking?
Enology
How soon after harvest should the process of wine making begin?
As soon as possible
What starts happening to grapes once they are picked?
They start to degrade and become oxidized
If left alone, what happens to unbroken and broken grapes?
Unbroken grapes can become raisins, and broken grapes can begin to ferment in unpredictable ways
To prevent grapes from spoiling, what can winemakers do?
Keep grapes cool and covered, and perhaps use sulfur as a preservative during transport
When using sulfur as a preservative, what happens when it combines with oxygen
It can combine to form sulfur dioxide
What does sulfur dioxide do to preserve grapes?
It inhibits growth of both yeast and bacteria, preventing premature fermentation or spoilage, and prevents juice from oxidizing and turning brown
What is the pre-fermentation part of winemaking often broadly referred to as?
The crush
What is sorting?
When undesirable elements of the harvest including leaves, underripe bunches, damaged fruit, and other debris is removed
What type of machine are sorted grapes sometimes placed into, and what does it do?
A crusher-destemmer, which crushes grapes to release juice while at the same time removing and discarding stems
For the production of white wine, the crusher-destemmer machine is sometimes eliminated, in favor of producing what type of press?
‘Whole-berry’ or ‘whole-cluster’ press
For some white wines where a little contact with skins is encouraged, what does this minimized process called ‘cold soak’ entail?
Juice is chilled with skins still present in order to extract aromas and desirable phenolics
How long does a cold soak generally take?
No more than 24 hours
Much juice from berries is released during transport even prior to a crush. This, which is often reserved for higher quality wines, is called what?
Free run
How might one describe the qualities of free run juice
It is often rich in sugar and low in tannin
What is a bladder press?
Essentially a large air bag which crushes grapes with a great deal of force, but with flexibility
What is the cake of dry compressed skins and seeds (pips) of grapes called?
Pomace
What is often done with pomace when it is not repurposed for other beverages?
It is used for compost in the vineyard
What types of liquors can be produced with pomace?
Marc or grappa
What is must?
Grape juice destined for fermentation
What is must adjustment?
When acid or sugar levels are determined by the winemaker to be insufficient, so adjustments are made to fix either of these problems
What is acidification?
The process of adding acid directly to the must in the case of low acid levels