| When making red wine, the winemaker has at his | | | | the top of the grapes and gently plunged in. |
| disposal a far greater range of techniques, and | | | | During the next few days it will be necessary to |
| must make more decisions than when making | | | | macerate the grapes - a process of plunging the |
| white wine. The process is essentially the same, | | | | cap (grapes and skins that have floated to the |
| gathering the grapes, fermentation, maturation | | | | top) into the must (grape juice). |
| and bottling. But there is one main difference - | | | | As the fermentation progresses, the grape skins |
| extracting the colour from the skins. At various | | | | are constantly being forced up to the top of the |
| stages the winemaker can intervene to change | | | | bin, and by macerating a few times a day this |
| the style of the wine he is making. | | | | cap is pushed down into the must to ensure |
| Just follow some straight forward rules, and you | | | | maximum skin contact, therefore enabling good |
| are on your way to making a good red wine. | | | | colour extraction. The longer this process goes on |
| The processes are as follows: | | | | the deeper the colour of wine. |
| 1. Picking Grapes | | | | 4. Pressing |
| To make the best red wine we need good | | | | When we are satisfied that we have enough |
| quality, fully ripened red wine grapes, which are | | | | colour in the wine - even though the fermentation |
| clean and free from disease. | | | | is still in full swing - it is time to press the grapes, |
| Before harvesting the grapes in the autumn/fall, | | | | and so removing all the skins, and any other solid |
| the sugar levels tend to rise from day to day | | | | matter. The wine is then pumped into a |
| depending on the weather, while at the same | | | | fermentation vessel and sealed with a |
| time the acidity levels fall off. Getting the balance | | | | fermentation lock to continue its ferment. |
| between the two is important - too much acid will | | | | At this stage the must will be very warm as the |
| mean that the wine will be harsh and take longer | | | | ferment is almost through. When wines are |
| to develop, too little and the wine will not age. | | | | allowed to ferment at higher temperatures, |
| The riper the grapes are, the higher the natural | | | | specifically red wines, the fermentation is fast, the |
| sugar levels will be, which in turn will result in a | | | | yeast cells will now die bringing the fermentation |
| higher total alcohol content (not always desirable). | | | | to an end. The wine is racked in to another |
| The character we are looking for ranges from | | | | vessel, and some form of filtration may take |
| something 'soft and subtle' to something 'big, | | | | place, but this is not always necessary. |
| powerful and complex'. So the winemaker must | | | | 5. Maturation |
| work with the grape varietal character combined | | | | This is an interesting stage as barrels of different |
| with what nature has provided in that year. The | | | | types of oak can be used for the maturation |
| secret is to always work with nature. | | | | process. For instance a French oak barrel will give |
| The ideal sugar and acid readings are as follows: | | | | a softer character than say an American oak |
| - Natural Sugar - 22 to 24 degrees Brix | | | | barrel. By choosing the type of oak, we can |
| - Acid content should be about 5.5 to 6.5 g/litre | | | | influence the flavour of our wine. Also the length |
| Red wine softens with age. | | | | of time the wine stays in the barrel will make a |
| 2. De-stemming | | | | significant difference. The wine extracts tannin |
| In order to extract the colour, the grapes will be | | | | from the wood which enhances its character and |
| fermented on the skins - this is where the red | | | | flavour. |
| colour comes from. After picking the grapes, the | | | | 6. Bottling |
| stalks have to be removed by passing them | | | | Some wines may have remained in barrel for a |
| through a de-stemmer. At the same time, the | | | | year or more before bottling, so this is a very |
| grapes are crushed very gently and passed into a | | | | straight forward stage of racking the wine out of |
| large open topped fermentation container. It is | | | | the barrel, filtering it then bottling. The bottles are |
| important not to damage the pips or stalks as | | | | now laid down in a cellar, some wines are made |
| this will allow excess tannin to enter the sample, | | | | to be drunk while young, whereas others will be |
| which will ultimately cause a bitter taste in the | | | | laid down for several years to soften and mature |
| wine. | | | | before drinking. |
| 3. Maceration and Fermentation | | | | 7. Appreciation |
| Now the grapes are ready to undergo | | | | The best time for any wine drinker - sample the |
| fermentation. A cultured yeast is sprinkled on to | | | | fruits of your labour - and enjoy it! |