{"id":2580,"date":"2021-09-14T08:19:54","date_gmt":"2021-09-14T08:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fattoriamontecchio.com\/?p=2580"},"modified":"2024-05-22T11:15:00","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T09:15:00","slug":"how-red-wine-is-made","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fattoriamontecchio.com\/en\/how-red-wine-is-made\/","title":{"rendered":"Red winemaking process step by step"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Red wine <\/b><\/span>is made on the<span class=\"s1\"><b> skins: <\/b><\/span>red wine is made like white wine, but with one major difference: the juice ferments with grape skins to dye it red, generally in a tank or vat.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">The skin contact in red wine production allows <span class=\"s1\"><b>color,<\/b><\/span> <span class=\"s1\"><b>flavor <\/b><\/span>and textural <span class=\"s1\"><b>compounds<\/b><\/span> to be integrated into the juice, while the yeast converts sugar to alcohol. The skins contain most of the good stuff that gives red wine its color, while the pulp mostly provides the juice.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2586\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fattoriamontecchio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/fattoria-montecchio-uva-vite.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fattoriamontecchio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/fattoria-montecchio-uva-vite.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.fattoriamontecchio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/fattoria-montecchio-uva-vite-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fattoriamontecchio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/fattoria-montecchio-uva-vite-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fattoriamontecchio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/fattoria-montecchio-uva-vite-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Red wine grapes<\/b><\/span> are ready to <span class=\"s1\"><b>harvest<\/b><\/span> in <span class=\"s1\"><b>late summer<\/b><\/span> to <span class=\"s1\"><b>early fall<\/b><\/span>, several weeks after the initial green color of the grapes has turned to dark red or blue-black.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">This period is called, <span class=\"s2\">in viticulture,\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s3\"><b>veraison<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s2\">: this is the onset of the ripening of the grapes, when starts the change of color of the grape berries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">During the grape harvest, the most important thing to do is to pick the grapes at perfect ripeness: it is critical because grapes don\u2019t continue to ripen after they\u2019ve been picked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">For all winemakers, the grape harvest season is the most critical (and very tense) time of year!<\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\">Grapes picked too early may result in tart and thin-tasting wines.<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">Grapes picked too late may result in wines that taste overly ripe and flabby.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\">Vineyard crews <span class=\"s1\"><b>cut the grape bunches<\/b><\/span> or clusters from the vines. That\u2019s either done by hand or a self-propelled machine that shakes or slaps the grapes off their stems and collects the individual berries and juice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">After the harvest, <span class=\"s1\"><b>grapes head to the winery<\/b><\/span>. The winemaker decides whether or not to remove the stems or to ferment grape bunches as whole clusters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">This is an important choice because leaving stems in the fermentation adds astringency (aka tannin) but also reduces sourness.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">During this step, grapes also receive sulfur dioxide to stop bacterial spoilage before the fermentation starts <span class=\"s2\">and to minimize oxidation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The combined juice, skins and seeds is known as <span class=\"s1\"><b>must.<\/b><\/span> Some winemakers cool the must for a day or two, a process called cold soaking, to extract color and flavor compounds from the skins before any alcohol is created.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">After this, some winemakers add commercial <span class=\"s1\"><b>yeast<\/b><\/span> to begin fermentation while others let the native yeast that clings to the grapes or exists in the cellar\u2019s atmosphere start the fermentation. Either way, yeast cells come to life in the sweet solution and begin to convert the sugar into alcohol, heat and carbon dioxide. Most wines take 5\u201321 days to ferment sugar into alcohol. A cap of skins forms atop the must. This cap needs to be blended back into the juice at least once per day but often more during the <span class=\"s1\"><b>fermentation process<\/b><\/span> to keep it moist. This process releases carbon dioxide allows oxygen uptake, speeds extraction from the skins and manages the heat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">After the fermentation, vintners transfer the must into <span class=\"s1\"><b>wine presses<\/b><\/span>, which separate the skins and seeds from the wine and squeezes the skins to coax out what is known as pressed wine. Pressing the skins gives winemakers about 15% more wine! How hard to press the must is a key winemaking decision: too hard, and it brings out harsh tannins. Too soft, it might leave the wine lighter in color and texture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">As the red wine settles in tanks or barrels, a second \u201cfermentation\u201d happens: the <span class=\"s1\"><b>malolactic fermentation<\/b><\/span>. This process converts the wine\u2019s tart malic acid and sharp to softer and rounder lactic acid.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Red wines age<\/b><\/span> in a variety of storage vessels including wooden barrels, concrete, glass, clay. Each vessel affects wine differently as it ages.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Wooden barrels affect wine the most noticeably.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The oak wood itself flavors the wine with natural compounds that smell like vanilla.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Clay tanks have a softening effect on wine by reducing acidity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Of course, the biggest thing that affects flavors in red wine is <span class=\"s1\"><b>time<\/b><\/span>. The longer a wine rests, the more chemical reactions happen within the liquid itself.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Now that the wine is good and rested, it\u2019s time to make the <span class=\"s1\"><b>final blend<\/b><\/span>. A winemaker blends grape varieties together or different barrels of the same grape to make a finished wine. Blending wine is a challenge because the winemaker can add <span class=\"s1\"><b>complexity<\/b><\/span> and <span class=\"s1\"><b>perfect balance<\/b><\/span> using his sense of texture on his palate instead of his nose.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Red wine is <span class=\"s1\"><b>clarified<\/b><\/span> during the maturation period by racking, fining and filtering. Sediments like yeast cells and tiny bits of grape skins settle out of red wine while it ages. When a red wine is mature enough to be <span class=\"s1\"><b>bottled<\/b><\/span>, many winemakers choose to <span class=\"s1\"><b>filter <\/b><\/span>it first. A coarse filtration removes extra sediment. A sterile filtration removes virtually all remaining yeast as well as microbes that might later spoil the wine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">A final adjustment of sulfur dioxide is often made just before a wine is bottled. Oxygen is removed from the empty bottles before they\u2019re filled with wine, <strong><span class=\"s1\">corke<\/span>d<\/strong> and <span class=\"s1\"><b>labeled<\/b><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Today\u2019s winemakers have many more options, techniques and technologies than their ancient predecessors. But the object is still the same: to take red <span class=\"s1\"><b><i>grapes <\/i><\/b><\/span>and allow yeast to transform them into an <strong><span class=\"s1\"><i>enjoyable red wine!!<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Red wine is made on the skins: red wine is made like white wine, but with one major difference: the juice ferments with grape skins to dye it red, generally in a tank or vat.\u00a0 The skin contact in red\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Red winemaking process step by step - Fattoria Montecchio<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Red wine is made on the skins: red wine is 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