Winemaking - Vinification

Question 1

What is the definition of winemaking (vinification)?

Answer 1

Once grapes arrive at the winery, the decisions and practices that affect quality and style

Question 2

What are the factors do wine makers consider during vinification?

Answer 2

1. Goal of winery
2. Style of wine
3. Price point
4. Regional law
5. Sustainability

Question 3

What are the winemaking steps?

Answer 3

1. Harvest: pre-winery
2. Sorting: when grapes arrive, they are sorted to remove excess leaves, branches, damaged fruit or other unwanted items from the clusters
3. De-stemming: separating stems from berries in clusters. Can de-stem or not, stems can alter flavor.
4. Crushing: crush and destem in single mechanical stage. Crushing begins fermentation, this is a gentle process
5. Fermentation: chemical reaction (grape sugar + yeast = co2 + alcohol)

Question 4

What are the steps to white wine making?

Answer 4

Harvest
De-stem
Crush
Press
Fermentation
Age
Bottle

Question 5

What are the steps of rose wine making?

Answer 5

Harvest
De-stem
Crush
Press
Ferment
Age
Bottle

Question 6

What are the steps of red wine making?

Answer 6

Harvest
De-stem
Ferment
Press
Age
Fine or filter
Bottle

Question 7

What are the fermentation vessel types?

Answer 7

Wood, stainless steel or concrete

Question 8

What happens during barrel aging?

Answer 8

1. Evaporation of excess water
2. Oxidation (white: pale to golden) (red: lighten in color)
3. Textural changes: oak softens wine
4. Flavor: if oaky (vanilla, spice, oak, toast, coconut)

Question 9

What happens to wine in new v. Old oak barrels?

Answer 9

New oak barrels add more flavor to the wine. Old oak barrels add less flavor but allows oxidation and textual effects

Question 10

What are the financial implications of using oak

Answer 10

New oak is expensive. Inexpensive wines can use oak chips or flavoring

Question 11

Explain the difference between using small or large oak barrels

Answer 11

Large have less flavor because they have less contact with wood. Small have more flavor because of more contact with wood.

Question 12

What are the different types of oak?

Answer 12

1. American: bold and more intense flavor of vanilla, toast and spice
2. French: subtler aromas of vanilla, toast, and spice
3. Other: Slavonian (I.e Croatia) and Hungarian

Question 13

What is malolactic fermentation?

Answer 13

Tart malic acid found in grapes naturally is converted into softer tasting lactic acid. “Malo” or “ML” can impact the buttery flavor and creamy texture in white wines

Question 14

What is carbonic maceration?

Answer 14

Tanks filled with whole berries and blanketed under co2 gas. Berries at the bottom are crushed and fermented. Technique is associated with the Beaujolais region of Burgundy region of France.

Question 15

What is lees contact?

Answer 15

Leave white and sparkling wine in contact with yeast that produced fermentation. When yeast dies it leaves a rich and creamy texture. Mainly used in cool-climate growing regions to give more expressive aromas like bread dough, yeast, toast.

Question 16

What is chaptalization?

Answer 16

the addition of sugar to must to increase the final alcohol content

Question 17

What is acidification?

Answer 17

The addition of tartaric acid to increase the acidity of the must to achieve balance

Question 18

What is fining?

Answer 18

Clarify wine for attractiveness. Can be done by cold stabilization, a process which causes tartrate crystals to precipitate out of the wine at a very low temp.

Question 19

What is filtration?

Answer 19

Wine is passed through a series of filters to extract yeasts and other microbes, giving stability and assuring no re-fermentation

Question 20

What type of packaging can wine have?

Answer 20

Bottles, Tetra Pak, keg, can

Question 21

What are the types of closures wine can have?

Answer 21

Cork, screw cap, glass stopper

Question 22

What are wine labels used for?

Answer 22

To ID the wines, market to consumers, and follow regional labeling laws