Wine Making 101

To really understand wine, you have to know how it is made. The basic process is really fairly simple:

1. Grow the grapes
2. Pick the grapes
3. Crush the grapes
4. Collect the juice in a large cask called a fermentation cask. In the cask, the yeast that naturally exists on the grapes causes the juice to ferment. Fermentation is the process in which the yeast eats the sugar in the juice, transforming it into alcohol.
5. Age or mature the wine in casks for a length of time.
6. Age the wine some more in bottles.
7. Drink - which is, of course, the best part!

What makes good wine?

Master winemakers don't just follow the process above - they master it. They know how to control every step in the process to produce specific flavors and characteristics in their wines.

Here are just a few factors that affect the taste of wine:

• The type of grape used - The type of grape plays the largest role in determining the character of a wine. All grapes can be broken down into those that produce red wine and those that produce white wine. But there are significant differences among the grapes within each of these categories too: that's why among red wines a Pinot Noir tastes so different from a Cabernet Sauvignon, and why among whites a Chardonnay tastes different from Riesling.
• Climate - The soil and mineral content of a region can make wines made with the same grapes taste quite different. That's why the same type of grapes grown in one region will produce better wines than those grapes grown in another. The temperature, sunshine, humidity, rainfall, and other weather factors will also affect the quality of wine produced from a particular grape, which is why wines made in different years at the same vineyard can vary in quality.
• Material of the Fermentation Cask - Casks are usually either stainless steel or oak. Stainless steel is non-reactive, which allows the wine to keep its fruity flavor. Oak casks lessen the fruity flavor, imparting instead an oaky or roasted nutty taste along with a smoother texture.
• Aging time - Certain wines improve with aging in the bottle. As they age, wines will mellow and gain in balance and complexity. But be careful not to age for too long; wines improve with age until they reach a peak, and then decline. How long a wine should age depends on the wine.

The list above describes just some of the factors that affect the taste of wine. There are many others, some quite technical, and some made possible only by the advent of modern science (such as the development of super-yeasts that can produce wines with higher alcohol contents).

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