Winemaking is a technological process, which consists in making wine mainly on the basis of grapes, as well as some other fruit and berry crops. Winemaking includes a considerable number of special operations, which are carried out at certain stages of production of such drinks.
Generally speaking, winemaking begins with the crushing of the plant material (grapes) and the separation of the ridges (peduncles), after which the must is obtained. The next stage is alcoholic fermentation followed by malolactic fermentation and distillation (for fortified wines). Finally, the wines are aged and subjected to special treatment (topping up, filtration, pasteurization, etc.).
Remarkably, the oldest fermented beverage known to mankind is rice wine which was made in China 90 centuries ago. Winemaking began after people mastered the cultivation of grapes, which happened in the Neolithic era. The very first productions appeared in the Middle East, in Mesopotamia, Greece and Cyprus.
As you know, the starting point of a winemaker’s work is the grape harvest, which comes at the moment when the berries have reached full maturity. In other words, when the grapes have the optimum amount of sugar and enough phenolic compounds. At this point, the soft grapes have a thin, firm skin, and the skins are brown and more or less woody.
In winemaking, when making sweet white and liqueur wines, grapes are left on the bush as long as possible – the main thing is to keep the berries from spoiling. For example, in Sauternes and on the Rhine, grapes are left on the vine until a special fungus (Botrytis cinerea) develops. It causes the grapes to shrivel up a lot and lose weight, but at the same time the sugar content of the grapes increases considerably.
To extract juice from harvested grapes and bring it to fermentation, berries are pressed by pressing, which is carried out with special machines of various types. For example, the most unpretentious of them is the manual crusher, which has two cast iron grooved shafts rotating in different directions – it is between them and let the grapes pass.
The mass obtained after crushing the grapes is subjected to fermentation. The essence of this process is as follows: the grape must, poured into barrels or vats, under the influence of warm air, begins to ferment, and the sugar it contains decomposes into alcohol and carbonic acid.
Once the wine is fully fermented, which happens approximately 2.5-3 years later under normal cellar conditions, the next stage of winemaking begins: purification and bottling. In the latter case, the wine is better preserved, because it is no longer exposed to the harmful effects of air. The interaction of the constituents continues to improve the wine in the bottle, making it more aromatic. White wines, in addition, take on a yellow hue or generally darken in color, while red wines take on a brown hue due to the release of some of the coloring substances.
Bottles filled with wine and tightly closed with quality corks are stored in a cool, dry place, and must be kept lying down. Collectible wines are often preserved for years or even decades in oenotheques – special storage facilities.