Vinification (R) Flashcards
What is vinification?
- It begins when the grapes arrive in the winery.
- Decisions and practices made in the winery by the winemaker that affect quality and style.
List the factors of vinification.
- Pre-Fermentation
- Fermentation
- Types of Winemaking
- White, Rose, Red
- Sparkling
- Dessert and Fortified - Fermentation Vessels
- Aging and Maturation
- Important Vinification Terms
- Preparation for Bottling
- Packaging
List the factors of pre-fermentation.
- Sorting (sorted to remove excess - leaves, branches, damaged fruit, random unwanted items)
- De-stemming (obvious. Can elect against this.)
- Crushing (crushing to release juice. Be gentle or unwanted bitterness and tannins!)
- Fermentation (sugar + yeast = alcohol+CO2)
(also creates flavors, aromas, heat)
Winemaking steps - white wine?
- Harvest (red or white grapes)
- De-stem or Whole Bunch
- Crush
- Press juice from skins (must) (skin contact)
- Fermentation
- Aging?
- None
- LEES CONTACT
- Barrel (type and size) - Fine and/or Filter
- Bottle
Winemaking steps - rose wine?
- Harvest (red grapes)
- De-stem or Whole Bunch
- Crush
- Press juice from skins (must) (skin contact limited)
- Fermentation
- Aging?
- None
Barrel (type and size) - Fine and/or Filter
- Bottle
Winemaking steps - red wine?
- Harvest (red grapes)
- Crush
- De-stem or Whole Bunch
- Skins and seeds macerated with juice (must) - Fermentation
- Press juice from skins
- Aging?
- None
- Barrel (type and size) - Fine and/or Filter
- Bottle
List the primary factors of a fermentation vessel.
- Size
- Shape
- Material
How does a fermentation vessel impact the final wine?
Can affect:
- Aroma
- Flavor
- Texture
Name three sizes/shapes of vessels.
- Foudre: 1000+ liter (large)
- Barrique: 224 liter (small)
- Egg-shaped
Name three vessel materials.
- Wood
- Stainless Steel
- Concrete
What does barrel aging do?
- Evaporation of excess water
- Oxidation: Causes color change in wine
(white = darken pale yellow to gold. red = lighten) - Textural: Softens wine
- Flavor Changes: Vanilla, oak, toast, spice (cinnamon, clove, allspice), Coconut
What are the primary barrel considerations?
- Age
- Type of wood
- Financial Considerations
- Size of Barrel
What is another name for a new oak barrel and how does it impact a wine?
- “First use”
- Will impart the most flavor and aroma
What is another name for an older oak barrel and how does it impact a wine?
- “Used”
- Imparts little to no flavor or aroma after 4-6 years of use.
- STILL impacts oxidative flavors and textural effects
New oak barrels are extremely __________. What do winemakers have to consider and what is an alternative?
- Expensive.
- Does the style require use of high percentage of oak? If so, does winery have the means/model to support the production year?
- Oak chips or planks are an alternative
__________ barrels will impart __________ flavor to the wine because a lower percentage of surface area is in contact with the wood.
- Large
- Less
__________ barrels will impart __________ flavor to the wine because a higher percentage of surface area is in contact with the wood.
- Small
- More
When is a barrel rendered neutral?
- After its fourth to sixth use
How do neutral barrels impact a wine?
- No longer impart flavors or aromas
- DO IMPART oxidative flavors
- DO IMPART textural effects
How does aging in oak affect the texture of a wine?
- Softens the wine
How does barrel aging affect the color of a wine?
- Red wines grow lighter in color
- White wines grow darker in color, from pale yellow to gold
What types of flavors does barrel aging impart on a wine?
- Vanilla
- Oak
- Toast
- Spice (Cinnamon, Clove, Allspice)
- Coconut
What are the main types of wood used for barrel aging?
- American Oak
- French Oak
- Slavonian (from northeastern Croatia)
- Hungarian
Describe the flavors imparted by American oak.
BOLD:
- Vanilla
- Baking Spices
- Dill
- Coconut
Describe the flavors imparted by French Oak.
SUBTLE:
- Vanilla
- Toast
- Spice
What is malolactic fermentation?
- The process by which tar malic acid, natural in grapes, is converted to softer tasting lactic acid.
- Occurs in red and white wine
How does Malo impact the flavor of a red wine?
- No flavor is imparted
How does Malo impact the flavor of a white wine?
- Buttery or buttered popcorn flavors
- Creamy texture
Describe carbonic maceration.
- Whole berries are blanketed under CO2 gas
- Grapes begin to ferment from the inside
- This is called intracellular fermentation, where sugars inside the grapes are converted to alcohol in the absence of yeast
- Berries at the bottom are naturally crushed and ferment normally
- This technique is historically associated with the Beaujolais region of Burgundy, France
What is intracellular fermentation?
- The process by which sugars inside the grapes are converted to alcohol in the absence of yeast
- Often associated with carbonic maceration
What is lees contact?
- A winemaking decision to leave white and sparkling wines in contact with the yeasts that produced the fermentation.
- Autolysis occurs, this is when yeast cells die and release flavor components such as additional richness, creaminess and texture
Where and why is lees contact often used?
- Cold climate growing regions
- To derive more expressive aromas and flavors
What is lees?
- After fermentation, yeast cells die and settle to the bottom of the tank or barrel
- The accumulated material is known as lees
What is “sur lie aging”?
- A decision to leave fermented wine in contact with the lees for an extended period of time to impart additional aromas and flavors
What types of flavors and aromas are imparted through “sur lie aging”?
- Bread Dough
- Yeast
- Toast
- Subtle white flowers
- Nuts (blanched almonds, pine nuts, peanut shells)
What is must?
- Unfermented grape juice
What are two common must adjustments?
- Chaptalization: Addition of sugar to increase final alcohol content
- Acidification: Addition of tartaric acid to increase acidity to achieve improved balance
Describe the steps to prepare for bottling. (5)
- Fining: Clarify the wine for attractiveness.
- Cold stabilization: A process that causes tartrate crystals to precipitate out of the wine at very low temps (25F) - Filtration: Extracts yeasts and other microbes. Assures wine does not re-ferment.
- Packaging: Bottle, Tetra Pak, Keg, Can
- Closures: Cork, Screw Cap, Glass “Vino-Lok”
- Capsules and Labels: For identification and increased sales
What is cold stabilization?
- A process that happens while fining a wine to prepare for bottling
- Causes tartrate crystals to precipitate out of the wine at very low temps (25F)
