Making Wine

Life cycle of a grape vine

Bud break

the first stage of the vine cycle that yields grapes each year.

new green growth appears on the vines during this stage

The grape starts its annual growth cycle in the spring with bud break

If the vine had been pruned, the start of this cycle is signaled by a "bleeding" of the vine

Up to 5 litres of low concentration of organic acids, hormones, minerals and sugars is expelled from the cuts (or "wounds")

Flowering

Fruit set

Veraison

After harvest

Depending on temperatures, 40–80 days after bud break the process of flowering begins

A few weeks after the initial clusters appear, the flowers start to grow in size with individual flowers becoming observable.

the pollination and fertilization of the grapevine takes place with the resulting product being a grape berry, containing seeds

Follows flowering almost immediately, when the fertilized flower begins to develop a seed and grape berry to protect the seed

This stage is very critical for wine production since it determines the potential crop yield

Not every flower on the vine gets fertilized. Fertilized flowers averages around 30% but can get as high as 60% or be much lower.

Climate and the health of the vine play an important role with low humidity, high temperatures and water stress having the potential of severely reducing the amount flowers that get fertilized.

Grapes start to change colour from green to whatever colours they are supposed to be

Engustment

signals the beginning of the ripening process and normally takes place around 40–50 days after fruit set

This color changing is due to the chlorophyll in the berry skin being replaced by anthocyanins (red wine grapes) and carotenoids (white wine grapes)

the berries start to soften as they build up sugars.

Within six days of the start of veraison, the berries begin to grow dramatically as they accumulate glucose and fructose and acids begin to fall

the grapes are removed from the vine and transported to the winery to begin the wine making process.

Sampling takes place

starts when 60-70% of grapes has changed colour

winemakers sample the sugar and see if the seed has turned brown

Squeeze the juice to refractometer which will show what the breaks of the grapes are

Things to record (in a sample set template in Vintrace)

Brix (sugar content)

TA (Titratable Acidity)

Can be used to infer the level of alcohol (i.e. brix/2 + 1)

Add water to lower the alcohol

Harvesting

Methods

Machine

Hand pick

Containers

Half ton bin

Smaller bin

De-stam

Grape sorting

Processes

Remove stem, raisins, seeds, and shot berries

Red grape - dumped into a fermentation vessel

White grape - go straight to the press

Winemaker sample the juice to determine when to do a press cut

Pressing to hard will lead to bitterness of the seeds and more tannins from the skins

Weight the grapes before sending them to sorting

Those removed things are referred to as MOG and is recorded in Vintrace

Making wine

Red wine

White wine

Can be made with either red or white grapes

Fermented with red skins

Bubble

Processes

1) De-stamming

2) Pressing (Extraction operation in Vintrace)

3) Fermentation

It can occur

artificially

Add yeast

"Seed" it from another already fermented wine

Convert the sugar in the juice into alcohol

naturally

Addictive are also added at this staage

Barrel Ferment

Fill a barrel 80% full with juice

Stir later

Malolactic fermentation

Remove the tartness (i.e. sourness)

Yes

Chadonany

Sauvignon blanc

Processes

1) De-stamming

2) Pressing

The combination of the pulp and juice produces Must (Fraction types in Vintrace)

3) Fermentation

Done with skin which gives the wine colour

maceration

Extended skin contact

Intensify

Colour

Tenon structure

Acid coming from the grape skin

gives red wine the bitterness and dry finish

Which soften over time with aging

Cap management

Cap is the crusty top formed by the Must in the inner vessel

Punch down

Breaking the cap

Can grown unwanted bateria

Several times a day

With Vintrace application, winemakers create a lab analysis template for pump over/punch down

2 - 4 times a day

4) Pressing

Press the must against a seif gently to extract the juice into a tank

5) Racking and ageing

Almost all red wine is aged in oak barrel

The transfer process from tanks to barrels is called racking, or barreling down

Wine sits in barrel from 6 months to a few years

Lees

Dead yeast cells

Skin parcticals

5) Staves (as an alternative to barrel)

Monitor free sulfur, so2, va, pH or TA

Presents the wine from volatile acidity (vinegar)

In Vintrace, there is a Rack and Return operation

2) Wrap the wine off the lees

1) Rack the wine out of barrel

3) And put the wine back to barrel

Get stinky overtime

goes through two fermentation (as opposed to one for still wine)

first

makes the wine (base)

second

makes the bubbles

tirage

the wine goes either onto a rack or a cage, neck down, which the second fermentation is complete

disgorging

After the tirage period, the neck of the bottle is frozen and the cap is removed

riddle - the wine is rotated by hand or machine

for 6 months to 5 years

The pressure in the bottle causes the less to pop out

Add a sugar liquid to taste (dosage) - added per bottle

A cork is then placed in the bottle

Settling

the wine goes back into storage for a settling period before it is labelled and packaged for sale