Winemaking

Question 1

What helps to extract colour and tannin in red wines?

Answer 1

Heat (created by yeast), Punching Down (plunger pushes the cap into the liquid), and Pumping Over (liquid from the bottom of the fermentation vessel is sprayed over the cap with a hose).

Question 2

What is the purpose of ‘crushing’ in terms of the winemaking process?

Answer 2

Grape skin is split and juice is released.

Question 3

What is the purpose of ‘pressing’ in the winemaking process?

Answer 3

(After being crushed) the grapes are squeezed in a machine called a ‘Press’. This is to extract as much liquid as possible (and this can happen before or after fermentation).

Question 4

Describe ‘storage’ in terms of the winemaking process.

Answer 4

After alcoholic fermentation, the wine is STORED before bottling.

• it lasts usually under a year, sometimes just a few months.
• short storage doesn’t change the wine’s flavor.

Question 5

What is ‘maturation’ in terms of wine-making?

Answer 5

Maturation is when the wine is stored for an extended period of time, after fermentation.

• This develops the body and flavors.
• It usually happens in oak.

Question 6

What is alcoholic fermentation?

Answer 6

This is the process by which alcohol is made.

• it is the one commonality of all wine.
• ‘yeast’ (microorganisms) consume grape sugars and produce alcohol as a result,
• alcoholic fermentation finishes after the yeast has consumed all the sugar/ it can’t consume anymore.

Question 7

How are dry red wines made?

Answer 7

• Skins are included in the fermentation.
• After fermentation, the wine is drained from the skins.

Question 8

What temperature should dry red wines be fermented at?

Answer 8

20°C - 32°C.

• this is higher temperatures than needed for white wine.
• these higher temperatures are necessary for extracting sugars and tannins.

Question 9

Why may a winemaker choose stainless steel or concrete as the material for their wine storage/fermentation vessel?

Answer 9

• doesn’t add flavor to the wine.
• can be airtight.

Question 10

Why may a winemaker choose oak as the material for their wine storage/fermentation vessel?

Answer 10

• can add flavors
• can allow flavors to evolve (due to oxidization + maturation)

Question 11

What temperatures should white wine be fermented at?

Answer 11

12°C - 22°C.

*at the lower end of this range the wine can produce notably fruity aromas.

Question 12

What temperatures should rosé wines be fermented at?

Answer 12

12°C - 22°C (same as white wines).

Question 13

What affects the types of flavors oak can add in winemaking?

Answer 13

• how long heat was applied when the oak staves were shaped.
• “toasting”: the level of heat that was applied when the oak staves were shaped.
• whether the oak is NEW or OLD.

Question 14

What kinds of flavors and aromas can “toasting” of oak provide to a wine?

Answer 14

• sweet-spice.
• charred wood.

Question 15

What kinds of flavors and aromas can NEW (unused) oak provide to wine?

Answer 15

• vanilla.
• coconut.
• spice.

Question 16

If you want oak barrels to impart as much flavor as possible to the wine, what would the barrels be like?

Answer 16

• new oak.
• small barrels (as more contact with the surface area of the wood will increase oak flavor).

Question 17

Oak is watertight but not airtight. This allows oxygen to enter. What effect does this have on the wine?

Answer 17

• can impart flavors such as caramel, dried fruit, and nuts.
• can soften tannins in red wines.

Question 18

What size of oak vessels are rarely used to provide oak flavors?

Answer 18

Large.

Question 19

Which provides more oak flavor: new oak or old oak?

Answer 19

New Oak.

(It can add: vanilla, charred wood, coconut, and spice flavours.)

Question 20

How many uses does it take before an oak is ‘old’ and doesn’t add many oak flavors anymore?

Answer 20

2-3 uses.

Question 21

If a winemaker wants to add oak flavors to their wine without buying entire vessels (which can be expensive) what can they do?

Answer 21

They can use ‘oak chips’ or ‘ok staves’. Adding these to a wine-containing vessel will add oak flavors to the wine.