| To make wine there are a number of processes | | | | faster to complete the juicing process. |
| that the wine grapes must be put through. First | | | | Fermentation: when beginning the process of |
| of all you must grow the grapes and then | | | | fermentation you must first mix the grape juice |
| harvest them; once this is completed the grapes | | | | with yeast and store in a container at the |
| must be put through the initial grape juice process | | | | appropriate temperature. Once the process has |
| and taken to the winery, where the grapes will be | | | | begun the yeast will turn the sugar in the grape |
| crushed, fermented, raked, aged, stabilized and | | | | juice into the alcohol needed. The wine should be |
| pasteurized. Let us take a look at the process | | | | fermented in the more traditional wooden barrel |
| with a bit more detail: | | | | or in more modern stainless steel vessels. |
| Growing and harvesting your wine grapes: | | | | Depending on the wine you are making, the |
| naturally wine grapes are grown in the outdoors | | | | fermentation process can last for a shorter or |
| on a vine. Good quality wine grapes are classed | | | | longer amount of time. |
| by their level in sugar, the higher the sugar level, | | | | Racking and aging: raking consists of keeping the |
| the better the grape and therefore the better | | | | wine completely still until the yeast has settled. |
| the wine. Harvesting your grapes is recommended | | | | After this the wine is filtered and placed into |
| to be done in the dry season because water will | | | | barrels to begin the aging process, again |
| alternate the grapes and lower their sugar level | | | | depending on the wine you want to make, the |
| and gain bad quality which will change the taste of | | | | aging process can last from several months up to |
| your wine. For good quality grapes always harvest | | | | several years. Although no air should enter the |
| them when they are dry. | | | | barrels during this process, it is normal to mix the |
| Grape juice process: there are two ways of | | | | contents of barrels to achieve the taste wanted |
| achieving grape juice, the first being the traditional | | | | in your wine. |
| method of placing all of the grapes into a large | | | | When your wine has been through all of the |
| barrel and stomping on them with bare feet, this | | | | above methods, it will be ready to drink although |
| process can take a lot longer as the stalks have | | | | the wine will be very young. Many people prefer |
| to be removed by hand. The other method is | | | | to store the wine in a basement so that the wine |
| juicing the grapes using a special machine that | | | | can age for a longer period of time and therefore |
| removes the stalks automatically and is a lot | | | | gain in taste and quality. |