Intro/Tastings and Winery of Future

Question 1

what do we use to work out if we should harvest grapes?

Answer 1

TSS, sugars, pH and total acidity

Question 2

what will bigger wineries measure for in addition to the standard measurements to check when to harvest?

Answer 2

anthocyanins and flavanoids

Question 3

where are the main areas that wineries of the future are employing technology to improve their processes?

Answer 3

• new field tests that can measure TA, TSS, pH, polyphenols, tannins, anthocyanins etc quickly out in the vineyard
• mechanical harvesters that destem
• dorting of the grapes (real-time image analysis or sorters that shake)
• improved laboratory information management system (making process mgmt easier for large wineries)
• pressing (high-quality pressers can adjust how hard they press in real-time based on the settings you pre-prescribe… it measures phenolics and colour density of the juice coming out)
• settling by flotation
• managing temp gradients in tanks and ferments (some tanks measure the temp of ferments and will pump over specifically in areas that are getting too hot)
• crossflow to filter

Question 4

how many tonnes per hour can some of the advanced sorters sort?

Answer 4

10 tonnes per hour

Question 5

why is it vital to manage the temp of the ferment?

Answer 5

because there are hot and cold patches within the ferment which can cause uneven extractions of flavour, tannins and anthocyanins

Question 6

what is plate filtering?

Answer 6

the basic form of filtration where vertical plates (filter pads) are set up that filter out solids.. except lots of wine ends up being wasted

Question 7

what are the benefits of using cross-flow to remove solids (filter)

Answer 7

less loss of product and flavour
more even
also faster than filter pads

Question 8

what are the pros and cons of the concrete egg-shaped fermenters?

Answer 8

Pros:
- create good product 
- causes natural slow-moving of ferment which makes for an even ferment 
- novelty, good for marketing 
Cons: 
- hard to clean 
- heavy 
- risk of cracking (once this happens, they cannot be repaired)

Question 9

how much water does 1 litre of wine typically require to make?

Answer 9

between 15 and 22 litres

Question 10

what are some techniques that can reduce water waste in wineries?

Answer 10

• cleaning in place
• capture and use rainwater
• treating and reusing cleaning water

Question 11

what are the benefits of cleaning in place systems?

Answer 11

• no need to disassemble
• lower costs associated
• much less water waste compared to standard cleaning

Question 12

how can a winery treat and reuse its cleaning water? what are the benefits?

Answer 12

• it can catch the water that it uses than put ozone gas into the water
  this is a very safe way to sanitise, it does so to a high quality and saves time and energy
  safe as it decomposes naturally into oxygen
  allows water to go into the vineyard as ozonated water is good for the vines

Question 13

T or F, to produce top quality grapes you may want your vines to be slightly stressed?

Answer 13

True

Question 14

how can recover CO2 by used?

Answer 14

• can be stored and used in industrial activities
• can be used for carbonation beverages after impurities are removed
• can feed algae to produce biofuels
• can be used to create calcium carbonate (chalk)

Question 15

what percentage of the picked yield becomes waste in the form of the wine less and grape marc?
how many tonnes or grape marc a year does the global wine industry create?

Answer 15

20%

- 11 million tons

Question 16

how can grape marc and leftover wine lees be repurposed?

Answer 16

• marc from white wine can be distilled to make grappa
• used as feedstock to produce chemicals such as lactic acid
• fuel alcohol production and biofuel energy production
• used as biosurfactants
• antioxidants, fibre and chemicals that moderate blood sugar
• can be an ingredient in bread, cereal, pasta, ice cream and has been added to meat and seafood

Question 17

what point range will get you a gold medal standard wine?

Answer 17

18.5 - 20 0 outstanding quality

Question 18

what point range will get you a silver medal standard wine?

Answer 18

17-18.4 - Excellent standard

Question 19

what point range will get you a bronze medal standard wine?

Answer 19

15.5 - 16.9 - very good wine for its standard

Question 20

how are points allocated in wine shows?

Answer 20

20 total points up for grabs
3 points for sight/appearance (clarity, depth, intensity)
7 points for nose/smell (initial aroma, bouquet, fruit character)
10 points for taste/palate (flavour, complexity, balance and length)

Question 21

what does vintage mean when referring to wine?

Answer 21

it does not refer to old or young, it means the wine is made from one year’s harvest


Question 22

how many tones of grapes can be yielded from a hectare of vines?

Answer 22

really varies

can be as little as 2 tonnes/Ha, or as much as 20+ tonnes/Ha

Question 23

how many kgs can a single vine yield?

Answer 23

between 3 and 10 kgs

Question 24

why would a winery choose to harvest at night?

Answer 24

because there benefits to obtaining the grapes when they are cooler.
one being that it is easier to control the fermentation process

Question 25

step through the WHITE winemaking process:

Answer 25

• harvest grapes
• fruit goes into crusher (grape splitter)
• the juice is released from berries
• destemmed
• the juice is then separated from the skins/seeds by draining (pressing, eg pneumatic air press)
• the juice is settled in the tank to allow sediment to form, leaving the clear juice (or flotation technique is used)
• the clear juice is then fermented (no skins are in the ferment)
• usually fermented in stainless steel tanks
• wine is filtered - to remove any residual lees, sediment or haze (filters can be various types and sizes… earth, plate and frame or cross-flow options exist)

Question 26

step through the RED winemaking process:

Answer 26

• harvest grapes
• grapes are de-stemmed
• the fruit is crushed (grapes are split)
• the skins, seeds and juice (must) are pumped into a fermentation vessel
• ferment begins with all the above materials in it
• hand plunging occurs to extract flavour
• post ferment, must is pressed to get out any juice that is still in the skins, also to extract tannins (pneumatic, manual or basket press)
• the juice then often goes into oak barrels to mature or finish off ferment
• wine is filtered - to remove any residual lees, sediment or haze (filters can be various types and sizes… earth, plate and frame or cross-flow options exist)

Question 27

why do we destemmed then crush in red winemaking, as opposed to crushing then destemming?

Answer 27

because crushing stalks can release phenolic characters which add to acidity which may be undesirable in reds

Question 28

what is a VAT?

Answer 28

an open fermentation vessel