Vinification: Red and Rosé Wine

Question 1

What are the major differences between red wine making and white wine making?

Answer 1

1. White wines are usually pressed before fermentation while red wines are pressed after fermentation;
2. Red wines spend an extended period of time in contact with their skins before and during fermentation, extracting tannin and color from the lengthy skin contact whereas white wines are direct pressed;
3. Nearly all reds go through malolactic conversion and for whites it’s really up to the winemaker to decide whether the white goes through MLC.

Question 2

What does cold soaking do?

Answer 2

Cold soaking encourages a slow, long extraction of flavors and color (but not tannin) from red grapes at cool temperatures.

Tannins aren’t meaningfully extracted during cold soaks because tannins are more soluble in alcohol, which is present only after fermentation begins.

Question 3

What are the 5 overarching steps in traditional red winemaking?

Answer 3

1. Pre-fermentation processing
2. Alcoholic fermentation
3. Draining and pressing
4. Malolactic conversion
5. Maturation

Question 4

What winemaking elements must be closely managed during red winemaking?

Answer 4

• Density and temperature of the must;
• Oxygen level of the must;
• The cap that will be created during fermentation;
• The duration of skin contact.

Question 5

What is the typical temperature range for red wine fermentation?

What happens to the yeasts if fermentation temps get too high?

Answer 5

Between 20°C - 32°C (68°F - 90°F).

If fermentation temps go over 90ºF there’s a risk the yeasts will die.

Question 6

Why are red wines fermented at higher temperatures than white wines?

Answer 6

The higher temperatures allow for the extraction of color, flavor, and tannin which are the hallmarks of red wines.

Question 7

Why are most red wines produced with lower levels of Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) than most white wines?

Answer 7

The extended skin contact a red wine goes through will produce more anti-oxidants and lowers the need for sulfur.

Question 8

What is the “cap” in red winemaking?

Answer 8

The cap is the accumulated raft of skins, seeds, and other grape solids that float to the top of a fermenting red wine.

Question 9

What would happen to a red wine if the cap was not managed (punched down or pumped over) during winemaking?

Answer 9

If the cap is not managed, the resulting wine would be considerably less tannic, lighter in color, and would pack a less flavorful punch.

Off-odors would also develop as the yeasts need oxygen to survive.

Question 10

What are some widely practiced examples of cap management methods?

Answer 10

• Punching down
• Pumping over
• Rack and return
• Rotary fermenters

Question 11

What are some of the benefits of cap management?

Answer 11

As fermentation is an exothermic reaction, pumping over, punching down, and rack-and-return reduce the heat amassed during fermentation.

These methods also allow oxygen into the must and break up the cap.

Question 12

Why must the punching down technique be practiced more carefully than other cap management methods?

Answer 12

At the end of the fermentation process, when alcohol is higher, tannins are more easily extracted from the cap and if not practiced correctly, punching down can result in an exceedingly bitter and rough final wine.

Question 13

What is one of the key advantages of using a rotary fermenter?

Answer 13

Rotary fermenters continuously agitate the cap and juice together making extraction fast but, if the winemaker isn’t careful, extraction can be too deep and intense.

Rotary fermenters are commonly used in Australia.

Question 14

What wine region is most well known for its use of both carbonic and semi-carbonic maceration?

Answer 14

Beaujolais

Question 15

Briefly describe what carbonic maceration is.

Answer 15

It is an enzymatic, intracellular fermentation which takes place within the grapes themselves under anaerobic (without oxygen) conditions.

Anaerobic respiration of the grapes will convert the sugars in the grapes into ethanol.

Question 16

How is carbonic maceration carried out?

What is the result from using this method?

Answer 16

Uncrushed, intact, whole bunches of grapes are placed in fermentation vessels with CO₂ pumped into the vessel to remove any oxygen.

In this oxygen-free environment, berries start to ferment from the inside. Once the alcohol inside the grapes reaches 2%, they burst, releasing their juice naturally.

The grapes are typically pressed at this stage, separating the juice from the skins. Normal fermentation (with yeasts) then finishes fermentation.

Using this method results in a red wine that has lots of color, low tannins, and is soft, very fruity, and displays the typical flavor markers of carbonic maceration (kirsch, banana, bubble gum).

Question 17

What aromas and flavors will carbonic maceration give to a wine?

Answer 17

• Bananas
• Kirsch
• Bubble gum/gum drops/red licorice
• Spice notes (e.g. cinnamon, cardamom, all-spice)
• Candied cherry and plum

Added descriptors are included here to expand the vocabulary when describing a wine that has undergone carbonic maceration.

Question 18

How long does carbonic maceration usually take?

Answer 18

Carbonic maceration will usually take anywhere between 1-3 weeks.

Question 19

How does semi-carbonic maceration differ from carbonic maceration?

Answer 19

Both fermentations start off the same: vats are filled with intact, uncrushed, whole bunches of grapes.

However, in semi-carbonic, the vat isn’t filled with CO₂ – the winemaker shuts the vat on the whole bunches and allows the grapes to literally crush themselves under their own weight, releasing juice. Ambient yeasts start to metabolize the sugar in the grape juice that was released from the weight, producing CO₂ which fills the vat allowing the remaining berries go through carbonic maceration. Then, just like in carbonic maceration, once the berries reach 2% alcohol, they burst, releasing their juice, and the grapes are pressed and yeasts complete the fermentation.

Takeaway: traditional carbonic maceration involves CO₂ being pumped into the vat, and semi-carbonic maceration does not (the CO₂ is self-produced).

Question 20

When a red wine stays on its skins after primary fermentation is finished it’s called extended maceration.

What’s the benefit of extended maceration?

Answer 20

This allows the red wine additional time to draw out further color, tannins, and other compounds from the grape solids.

Whether or not to do extended maceration is entirely up to the winemaker.

Question 21

When are grapes for red wines pressed?

Answer 21

After fermentation has completed.

Question 22

Select the correct option.

Malolactic conversion is:

• sometimes
• always
• never

used in the production of red wines.

Answer 22

Always

For red wine production malolactic conversion is standard practice instead of a stylistic choice.

Question 23

Do rosé wines undergo malolactic conversion?

Answer 23

Malolactic conversion is avoided for most rosé production as the crisp, fresh acidity of these wines is a defining feature of the rosé style.

Question 24

What are the 3 methods for rosé wine production that are commonly practiced?

Answer 24

1. Direct pressing
2. Short maceration
3. Blending

Question 25

In the European Union, the blending method for rosé wines is prohibited everywhere except for this region.

Answer 25

Champagne

This applies only to still wines, which is why rosé Champagne can be produced using the blending method.

Question 26

At what temperature is most direct press method rosé fermented?

Answer 26

12°C - 22°C (54°F - 72°F)

Question 27

What wine regions are known for making rosé wines using the direct press method?

Answer 27

• Côtes de Provence
• Languedoc