Wine making is an ancient art which was started in 6000BC. Wine making first became popular in Greece, Rome and Egypt. There are basically two types for wine making. One is the still wine making while the other is the sparkling wine making. The processes for each kind have a few common points but at the same point differ a little as well. It was discovered that wine making started in the early Bronze Age. Wine making was also first established in Georgia and Iran where archaeologists have discovered remnants of crushed grapes.
Oenology is the science of wine making. and study of all aspects of wine. Today wine making requires deep and well researched scientific knowledge. Laboratory tests have replaced traditional methods of wine making and every process in the making of wines has become extremely mechanized. The still wine making process does not involve carbonization while the sparkling wine process involves carbonization.
Wine making process has a few steps which are followed in particular order for the productions of best quality wines. First comes the harvesting of the grapes which is followed by the fermentation. Fermentation usually takes one to two weeks depending on the type of wine being made. In the next change all the sugar in the grapes is turned into crisp ethanol or alcohol. After the first fermentation all the juice removed from the grapes is stored in containers. In the stage which follows this, the grape sugar content is converted in ethanol or alcohol.
The next process which follows suite is the pressing. Pressing is the stage where the juice is separated from the grapes from their skin. This total amount of juice is then readied for the next stage which is called vinification. Vinification is the term given to all the process right from the grapes coming into the chai till the transfer of wine into the oak barrels.
The next stage to follow is known as pigeage. This refers to a local French term for traditional process of stomping grapes in an open area or fermentation tanks. In this process the grapes are basically crushed to the surface and carbon dioxide gases are released. The layer of skins and other waste solids from grapes are given the name of caps. These caps are the best source of tannins. In traditional wine making the caps are mixed into the juice day by day by stomping it through the vat.
During the process of the first fermentation, yeast cells are mixed with sugar and they multiply. After the multiple they produce carbon dioxide also known as alcohol. The percentage of sugar should be well calculated as its density is important to obtain the desired percentage of alcohol. After alcohol fermentation, malolactic fermentation takes place. This name is given to the process in which certain bacteria strains convert malic acid into much milder lactic acid. This kind of fermentation is mostly done to immunize desired bacteria thus ensuring the fine has a softer taste and is of superior complexity.
These basic processes of wine making ensure high quality wines in your wine cellars and in all the wine shops only to be enjoyed and cherished by you.
