Vinification Flashcards
What is vinification?
The art of winemaking. The decisions and practices made in the winery by the winemaker that affect quality and style.
Removing excess leaves, branches, damaged fruit from the grape brought in from the vineyard.
Sorting
Separating berries from stems
De-stemming
This process releases the juice from the grapes
Crushing
What is fermentation?
The chemical reaction where sugar is transformed by yeast into alcohol, carbon dioxide, flavors, aromas and heat.
White wine making steps
Harvest White or Red Grapes De-stem or whole bunch Crush Press juice from skins Skin contact Fermentation Aging? (None, Lees or Barrel) Fine and/or Filter Bottle
Rose wine making steps
Harvest Red Grapes De-stem or whole bunch Crush Press juice from skins Skin contact limited Fermentation Aging? (None or Barrel) Fine and/or Filter Bottle
Red wine making steps
Harvest Red Grapes Crush De-stem or whole bunch Stems and seeds macerated with juice Fermentation Press juice from skins Aging? (None or Barrel) Fine and/or Filter Bottle
What is a Foudre?
A large fermentation vessel (1000+ liters)
What is a Barrique?
A small fermentation vessel (225 liters)
What materials can fermentation vessels be made out of?
Wood, Stainless-Steel or Concrete
What does barrel aging do?
Remove excess water through evaporation
Change color through oxidation
Change texture/soften
Change flavor adding vanilla, oak, toast, and spice
What is the difference between new barrels and old?
New impart more flavor. Old will be more neutral in flavor but can still contribute texture or color changes.
Do large barrels or small barrels impart more flavor into the wine?
Small
American Oak
Bold, intense flavors of caramel, vanilla extract, dill, herbs, coconut and sawdust.
French Oak
Subtle more refined flavors of vanilla bean, dried baking spices, cedar and sawdust.
Light toast promotes more extraction of what?
Wood tannin
Malolactic Fermentation
Tart malic acid is converted to softer lactic acid imparting a buttery flavor and creamy texture to white wines.
Carbonic Maceration
Tanks filled with whole berries are blanketed under carbon dioxide. Grapes begin to ferment from the inside. Unique flavors and aromas are produced.
Lees Contact
Allowing white and sparkling wines to stay in contact with the yeasts that produced the fermentation.
Autolysis
When yeast die and release flavor compounds into the white and sparkling wine imparting richness, creaminess and texture.
Chaptalization
The addition of sugar to must to increase the final alcohol content if the wine.
Acidification
The addition of tartaric acid to increase the acidity of the must to achieve improved balance in the resulting wine.
Fining
Clarifying wine for attractiveness.
Cold Stabilization
A process that causes tartrate crystal to precipitate out of the wine at a very low temperature (25 degrees F).
Filtration
Wine is passed through filters to extract yeast and other microbes, providing stability and assuring that the wine does not re-ferment.
What is Bâtonnage?
French term for stirring settled lees back into wine
