The Secret to Making a Great Wine - Get the First Day Right

A great wine can be the product of dumb luck,fruit flies will invade the grapes and leave bacteria
but more than likely it is the result youron the grapes which will quickly turn alcohol into
knowledge of harvesting grapes andvinegar. It is very important to make sure
understanding the process of wine making. It iseverything that contacts the must has been
not rocket science, but you must invest somesterilized with a solution of 4 Campden tablets per
time in studying so you understand why certainquart of water. This is to minimize bacteria which
things are happening. Harvest day could well makewill adversely affect the flavor. As soon as you
or break your wine, so we will look at some ofhave crushed, the vat should be covered with a
the most important points to consider.cloth to keep the fruit flies off the must
Grape PickingThe Chemistry
The first key to making excellent wine is to pickNow you measure again the Brix, acid, and pH. If
the grapes at the moment of perfect ripeness.acid is above 0.55 you now should add Campden
This is when the sugar, acid, and pH are at theirtablets. If pH is 3.2 to 3.5 add tablets so you get
optimum levels. For example, the perfect ripenessabout 50 ppm of potassium metabisulfite in the
for red grapes is said to be 22 Brix, 0.75 Acid andmust. If pH is 2.8 to 3.0 you should be at 25 ppm,
pH of 3.4; and for whites 22 Brix, 0.80 Acid, andand conversely, if pH rises to 3.6 you will need 75
pH of 3.1. Chances are you won't get the perfectppm, and pH at 3.8 requires 100 ppm. The addition
ripeness, but you need to take theof sulfites prevents any fermentation as a result
measurements on a daily basis when the grapesof natural yeast on the grape skins. If the Brix
are approaching these values and then pickmeasures below 20, you should add white sugar
immediately when the readings get close.to bring it up to the low 20's so you will have
The balance of sugar and acid is also very12-12.5 per cent alcohol after fermentation. You
important so you should look at the ration of Brixalso may have to add tartaric acid to bring levels
to acid as the final factor when determining theto a minimum of 0.60 for red and 0.70 for whites.
day to harvest. A value of 30:1 is optimum. YouLow acid wines don't last very long and they have
could let the grapes hang for several more daysa flabby taste. If you didn't add the Campden
but if the value goes over 35:1 your results willtablets before adjusting sugar and acid, do it now.
not be good. The other thing that will key you toFor white wines you want to remove the stems
harvest is if the pH goes too high. Your Brix toimmediately and for reds I suggest you remove
acid ratio may only be 25:1, but if pH gets to 3.4most of them. For whites the skins can be left in
or 3.5 go ahead and harvest because your resultsthe must for up to 16 hours and then the grapes
will go downhill from here. You can adjust the Brixshould be pressed to remove the juice from the
later. When picking, make sure that the grapesskins. Be sure not to press your grapes too hard
are handled carefully, and not crushed or split. Alsotrying to get all the juice out. This will squeeze
make sure that leaves, large stems and othersome bitterness out of the skins and you won't
trash are removed from the grapes.be happy with your result. For reds leave the
The Crushskins on and let sit for 24 hours. Now, having
Crushing must begin immediately after pickingdone all these steps correctly, your must is ready
especially if it is hot. The quality of your winefor primary fermentation, and you may put in the
erodes quickly if the crush doesn't happen rightyeast and relax a little. The most important work
away. One of the main reasons for this is thehas been done.