How Wine Is Made Flashcards
Who was the microbiologist who linked sugar’s conversion to alcohol to the living organisms called yeasts?
Louis Pasteur
What year did we finally discover that yeasts were responsible for fermentation?
1850s
The big difference between red and white fermentation wine is this:
For red wine, the juice is fermented WITH the red grape skins.
What two solvents leach out the reddish-purple color pigments from the skins tinting the surrounding wine during red wine fermentation?
Heat and alcohol
Two reasons we don’t ferment white wine with their skins on
- Add unneeded color
2. add unwanted tannin
What is the machine that removes stems from grape bunches called?
a crusher-destemmer
What is usually the deciding factor for keeping or removing stems from the grapes before they’re crushed during red wine making?
The naturally occurring tannin level in the grape variety being used. For example, cabernet sauvignon (high tannin skins) will not be pressed with stems. Grenache (low tannin skins), will be pressed with stems.
The soupy mass of crushed grapes, juice, skins, pulp, seeds, and possibly stems is called the _______
Must
Two major advantages of using stainless steel or concrete over wooden barrels
- Temperature control
2. Way easier to clean
What is cold soaking, and when during the winemaking process can it be done?
Before fermentation begins, the winemaker can choose to cool down the tank and let the juice “cold soak” for a few days or days. The skins will slowly and gently release small amounts of tannin, aroma, and flavor.
What is the desired outcome with cold soaking?
To make the wine a bit more intense than it otherwise would have been.
Does slower or faster fermentation produces more complex and aromatic wines
Slower
During fermentation, a cap is formed, what is it?
The release of CO2 during fermentation pushes skins to the surface where they form a thick “cap” over the liquid. Unattended they will remain at the surface do to the continual stream of CO2
Why does the cap need to be disturbed during fermentation?
The skins contains the wine’s potential color and tannin, as well as compounds that contribute to aroma and flavor. The more the cap is broken up, pushed apart, and squished down the more skin influence you’ll have on the wine.
Single-celled organisms that belong to the fungus family
Yeasts
What is “punching down”?
Taking a pizza paddle like pole and pushing the skins under the surface of the liquid, breaking up the cap in the process.
What is “pumping over”?
A large hose is run from the bottom of the tank to the top, where the juice is sprayed over the thick mantle of skins and percolated through the cap.
During fermentation, the temperature of the must rises to between ______
60 - 85 F
Fermentation usually takes how long?
From several days to a few weeks
At what concentration of alcohol will yeasts die?
16.5%
Near the end of fermentation, nearly all wines go through a months’ long transformation called ________ . This process is crucial to the wine’s softness and microbial stability.
Malolactic Fermentation
