Winemaking: White, Red, Rosé & Sweet Wines Flashcards
Steps of winemaking are broken down into detail for white, red, and rosé production.
What is crushing when it comes to winemaking?
Breaking open grape skins so they release their juice.
What is pressing when it comes to winemaking?
When crushed grapes are pressed to extract as much juice as possible.
Pressing crushed grapes is done in a machine called a “Press”.
What is alcoholic fermentation?
The method used to create alcohol in wine.
What microorganism carries out alcoholic fermentation in wine?
Yeasts
What do yeasts eat during alcoholic fermentation?
Sugars
What are 3 byproducts of alcoholic fermentation?
- Alcohol
- Carbon dioxide gas (CO2)
- Heat
What does an exothermic reaction during alcoholic fermentation do?
It creates and releases heat.
Typically, when does alcoholic fermentation stop?
When yeasts have eaten all the sugar.
The result is a dry wine (meaning, no residual sugar remaining).
What is the typical range of alcohol in a dry wine?
11.5% - 16% abv
What is the difference between storage and maturation?
- Storage is for wines that are made for early consumption.
- Maturation is when wines are stored longer than a few months to help develop flavor and body prior to release.
With storage, once alcoholic fermentation is complete, the new wine is left to settle for a short while (usually just a few months) prior to bottling.
Maturation most often happens in barrel (but sometimes in bottle).
What color grapes are predominantly used to make white wine?
White grapes are predominantly used to make white wine.
There are some white wines made from red/black grapes (e.g. Blanc de Noirs sparkling wine).
When making a white wine from black grapes, care must be taken to press the grapes gently so as not to extract any color from the skins.
List the order of processes when making white wine.
- Crushing
- Pressing
- Alcoholic fermentation
- Maturing
- Packaging
When are grapes for white wines crushed and pressed?
Before fermentation
Ideally, shortly after they’re harvested and brought to the winery.
What is the optimum fermentation temperature for white wine?
Between 12°C - 22°C (54°F - 72°F)
Rosé wines are typically fermented at similar temperatures to white wines.
What effect does a lower fermentation temperature have on a white wine?
Lower fermentation temperatures bring about fruitier aromas.
Name two ways for adjusting grape must that are commonly practiced in wineries.
These adjustments can be used on white, red, and rosé wines.
- Adding sugar to increase alcohol
- Adding acid (acidification)
What is the most common grape must adjustment made to white grapes from warm/hot climates, and why?
‘Grape must’ is freshly pressed grape juice
Acidification
Warm climate grapes can have lower levels of natural acidity.
How does adding sugar to the must before or during fermentation change the final wine?
Adding sugar before or during fermentation increases the alcohol level in a wine.
You don’t need to know this for the exam, but beet and cane sugar are the most common forms of sugar used.
What is residual sugar?
Sugar that remains in a wine after fermentation.
What does “off-dry” mean?
When a wine’s residual sugar is just-perceptible.
Name three ways sweet wines hold on to their residual sugar.
-
Sugars so concentrated the yeasts can’t possibly eat it all (e.g. frozen, extra-ripe or Botrytis-affected grapes)
- e.g. Hungarian Aszú
-
Removing yeast cells from fermenting juice
- e.g. White Zinfandel
-
Killing yeast cells by adding alcohol/fortification
- e.g. Port
What are 2 additions a winemaker can use to sweeten up a dry wine and 1 other way winemakers can make a wine sweet.
- Unfermented grape juice
- Concentrated grape juice
- Other way: blend the dry wine with a sweet wine
What kinds of vessels are commonly used to ferment white wines?
- Oak barrels
-
Inert vessels
- Stainless steel
- Concrete
What are the advantages of fermenting white wines in stainless steel?
- Stainless steel is inert and doesn’t add flavor to wine (helps maintain the grape’s character);
- Stainless steel can be made airtight, preventing oxygen from coming into contact with the wine and changing its flavors.
What are 2 advantages of fermenting wine in oak barrels?
- Barrels add woody and toasty flavors straight into the wine;
- Barrels encourage flavor development due to the presence of oxygen.