Fermentation Process

Winemaking Process

• Yeast consumes sugar in juice to produce alcohol, carbon dioxide, and other byproducts during fermentation.
• Fermentation can be controlled by temperature, oxygen, and nutrient levels.
• Fermentation can be stopped or restarted by cooling, filtering, or adding sulfur dioxide.
• Fermentation takes place in various vessels, such as stainless steel tanks, oak barrels, or concrete eggs.

Aging and Maturation

• Wine is stored and aged for a period to improve its quality and complexity.
• Aging and maturation can be done in different vessels, such as oak barrels, stainless steel tanks, or bottles.
• Aging and maturation may involve processes like malolactic fermentation, racking, fining, filtering, or blending.
• Aging and maturation is an optional step, as some wines are meant to be consumed young, while others benefit from aging.

Bottling and Labeling

• Wine is transferred into bottles and sealed with a closure, such as a cork, screw cap, or synthetic stopper.
• Bottling and labeling may involve adding additives like sulfur dioxide, sugar, or acid to adjust the wine's stability and balance.

Bordeaux Blends

• A typical Libournais Bordeaux blend consists of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cru Classifications of Bordeaux.
• There are several classifications of Bordeaux wines across the region, including Crus Artisans, Crus Bourgeois, Crus Classés de Graves, and Crus Classés de Saint-Émilion.

Wine Regions

• Veneto, Italy, is known for its Valpolicella and Soave, as well as Bordeaux-type blends.
• Tuscany, Italy, is home to traditional winemaking and is the main focus of experimentation.
• New Zealand is famous for its Sauvignon Blanc, which is undeniably a class apart from the same grape grown anywhere else in the world.
• South Africa's wine industry has experienced significant growth and experimentation in recent years.
• California, USA, produces high-quality wines that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with equivalent wines from classic regions of France.

Wine Terms

• Méthode Champenoise is the process of producing effervescence through a secondary fermentation in the same bottle.
• Mousseux is a French term that literally means "sparkling."
• Négociant is a French term that refers to a trader or merchant who negotiates with growers and wholesalers.
• Phylloxera is a vine louse that spread from America to virtually every viticultural region in the world during the late 19th century.
• Pouilly-Fumé is a wine made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape grown in the Loire Valley.
• Pouilly-Fuissé is a wine made from the Chardonnay grape from Burgundy's Maconnais region.
• Premier Cru is a French term that literally means "First Growth," and is of relevance only in areas where it is controlled, such as Burgundy and Champagne.
• Racking is the process of draining a wine off its lees into a fresh cask or vat.
• Recioto is a strong, sweet wine made in Italy from passito grapes.
• Sekt is a German term that simply means "sparkling wine."
• Solera is a system of continually refreshing an established blend with a small amount of new wine to achieve a wine of consistent quality and character.
• Spätlese is a German term that refers to a QmP wine that is one step above Kabinett but one below Auslese.
• Spumante is an Italian sparkling white wine.