Winemaking Flashcards
techniques to stop the AF
- fortification: stop AF while sugar is still present & kills the yeasts
- add a lot of SO2
- chill the fermented wine
crushed fruit fermentation
- extraction and temp control
pre-fermentation extraction: fruit is crushed. some prefer to leave the grapes to macerate at low temp before AF.
to extract colour and glavour.
temperature: 20-32°C
list the cap management techniques
- punching down
- pumping over
- rack and return
- rotary fermenters
- fermentation in large vessels
- post-fermentation extraction
- press wine
how is it called when you dry grapes on the vine
“passerillage” –> full sugar ripeness, grapes dehydrate and turn into raisins
need warm + dry autumns
–> late harvest
name the sweet wines by noble rot and explain the characteristics of the berries and environment
- Sauternes, Tokaji, Beerenauslesen, Trockenbeerenauslesen
- grapes must be fully ripe
- humidity + misty mornings and sunny and dry afternoons
- fungus punctures the grape’s skin –> filaments
flavours: honey, apricot, citrus zest, dried fruit
winemaking choices Pinot Gris and Chardonnay (non-aromatic)
- controlled exposure to oxygen
- clarification via settling/decanting
- MLC encouraged –> rounder and creamier
- usually not blended
Pinot Gris:
- characteristics
- climate
- where
- early budding + early ripening
- warm climates –> high sugar, loses acidity
- Alsace: oily, ripe tropical fruit, ginger and honey
- Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli: high quality, dry style. small berries, great flavour concentration
Chardonnay:
- characteristics
- climate
- where
- early budding + suffers in areas with spring frost
- cool climate: green fruit and citrus
- moderate climate: peach, melon and lemon
- warm climate: stone fruit + tropical, can lose acidity quickly
- Burgundy: Chablis, Cote d’Or, Maconnais
- MLC + extended lees
age –> mushroom + umami
list the techniques to make a sweet wine
- stop AF
- add sweetening component
- concentrate grape sugars
- noble rot
- drying grapes on the vine
- drying grapes after picking
- freezing grapes on the vine
what are the 3 forms of whole bunch fermentation
- carbonic maceration
- semi-carbonic maceration
- whole bunches w/crushed fruit
explain carbonic maceration
uncrushed bunches into vats, fill with CO2 to remove oxygen
- intracellular AF starts
- level of alcohol reaches 2% –> grapes skin splits and grapes release juice
- yeasts complete AF off the skins
- extract colour, little tannin
- wines soft and full of fruit
explain semi-carbonic maceration
- vats filled with whole bunches
- grapes at the bottom of the vat are crushed under the weight of the grapes above –> juice released
- ambient yeasts start to ferment the juice –> CO2 is produced –> carbonic maceration
explain whole bunches with crushed fruit fermentation
fill the vats with whole bunches and crushed grapes at the start of the AF –> cap regularly punched down
winemaking options for high volume inexpensive reds
- warm, sunny, dry environment
- Cab Sauv, Merlot, Syrah, Grenache
- juice handled protectively with SO2 monitored
- grapes destemmed and crushed at arrival
- tartaric acid added –> raise acidity
- AF + commercial yeasts –> 22-25°C
- may macerate a small % + blend
- oak may be used
list varieties for premium reds
- Cab Sauvignon
- Merlot
- Pinot Noir
- Syrah
- Grenache
3 ways of making rosés
- direct pressing: black grapes crushed and pressed –> extract a little colour
- short maceration: extract colour and flavour –> free run juice drained off the skins and fermented at cool temperature
- blend red+white wine
grapes processing at the winery
- grape reception –> 1st dose of SO2
- destemming and crushing –> free run juice
- pressing: whites, before AF; reds, after AF
oxygen in maturation, types of vessels
- inert airtight tanks –> avoid oxygen –> steel, cement, epoxy
- oak –> some oxygenation –> soften tannins and more flavour complexity –> tertiary aromas
oxygen in winemaking, how to avoid it
- avoid it to maintain primary fruit aromas
- SO2 to keep contact to a minimum
- grapes picked at night –> cooler –> less oxygen
- protective/anaerobic winemaking
adjustments before-during-after AF
- sugar and alcohol –> enrichment with RCGM
- remove water from the juice to concentrate sugars
- acid:
- acidification: add powdered tartaric acid
- deacidification: add alkaline substance
what is AF
conversion of sugar into alcohol & CO2 through yeasts.
min temp = 5°C
max temp = 32°C
yeasts in the AF and types of yeasts
- to kill yeasts: add SO2 or grape spirit
- remove via filtration
- ambient yeasts: increase flavour complexity
- cultured yeasts: limit the potential complexity, but ensure expected result