| p>If you've already tried your hand at | | | | juice should be filtered a number of times to |
| winemaking with reasonable success, then you | | | | remove any remaining sediment, and stored |
| may be up for the challenge of making white | | | | between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. |
| wine. White wines tend to be more difficult than | | | | - Fermenting - Only after ALL the sediment is |
| most wines, and adds a few steps to the | | | | removed from the juice should you add the |
| winemaking process. | | | | yeast to begin fermentation. The yeast will |
| First things first: white wine does not mean white | | | | convert the natural sugars into alcohol and carbon |
| grapes. While most white wines are made from | | | | dioxide. This usually takes three to four weeks. |
| white grapes, the coloring of the wine has more | | | | - Bottling & Aging - Against common |
| to do with the fermentation process than the | | | | reasoning, most wines do not age over years of |
| type of grape used. What this means is any | | | | time. While the aging is an important process for a |
| grape can be used to make white wine, and white | | | | developing wine, generally an equilibrium is reached |
| grapes can even be used to make red wine! The | | | | within a few months of bottling and the taste |
| difference is in the fermenting process: in red | | | | may even begin to decline. This is especially true |
| wine the grape juice is fermented along with the | | | | for homemade wines, which are not as well |
| skin and seeds, and the pigmentation of these | | | | sealed and preserved as professional wines. Very |
| parts 'blushes' the wine to its color. To make | | | | often the color of the wine will become brown. |
| white wine we remove the skins and seeds after, | | | | So why even use white grapes? Well, white |
| during the oxidation process, before fermentation. | | | | grapes have some particular characteristics which |
| So, let's go over the basic white wine making | | | | tend to transfer well into wine. They have thicker |
| steps: | | | | skins and are more easily adapted to colder |
| - Harvesting & Sorting - Take into | | | | climates, they are more resistant to disease, and |
| consideration the kind of grapes you want and | | | | their pigmentation does not transfer as readily |
| the freshness of their source. As always, this is | | | | into the juice, giving a clearer color, which is |
| the key factor for good wine. Grape clusters are | | | | important for white wine making. |
| most often used. Be sure that they are well | | | | Keep these things in mind while you're preparing |
| washed to remove any dirt and contaminants | | | | your next batch of wine, and it should be a |
| present on the grapes. | | | | painless process. Remember to pay close |
| - Pressing & Oxidation - During crushing the | | | | attention to the quality of your grapes, water, the |
| pomace, or the remaining grape skins and stems, | | | | sanitation of your equipment, and use a digital |
| are removed from the juice. During oxidation, the | | | | thermometer and hydrometer during oxidation. |