Wine Encyclopaedia

1. Wine Making

2. From Grape To Glass

3. The Red Grapes

4. The White Grapes

5. The Ten Basic Styles, Red

6. The Ten Basic Styles, White

7. Wine Glossary

8. Wine Tasting

9. Wine And Temperature For Serving

10. Wine And Alcohol Contend

11. Wine And Decanting

12. Wine And Health

13. Methode Champenoise

14. Champagne By The Bottle

15. Fortified Wine

16. Wine Service – White And Rose

17. Wine Service – Red

18. Wine Cellar Construction – Wine Storage

1. Wine Making

Of the three colours of wine, white is the simplest of all to make , precisely because it has no colour.
When the ripe grapes are harvested, they are brought to the winery

And immediately de-stemmed and crushed to extract the first (and best) juice from them. After that, they
are likely to be treated to a slightly heavier pressing and then the juice is separated off from all the solid
matter, such as skins, pips, leaves, etc.

The juice must be stored at low temperatures, to minimize the risk of spoilage through oxidation. While
standing, any remaining minute, solid particles settle to the bottom and thus clarify the juice; the process
can be speeded up artificially by subjecting it to centrifugal force. The fermentation of white wine takes
place at much lower temperatures than that of reds, typically around 12-18°C/54-64° F, which means that
it tends to be a fairly slow process.

At some stage, the wine maybe be encouraged to undergo a secondary type of fermentation to the sort that
turns grape juice into alcohol, this is called the “malolactic fermentation”, and is useful for converting
hard-tasting malic acid, with which grape juice is naturally abundant, into softer, creamier lactic acid.

Some white wines are better off with a noticeable bite to them, and for those the winemaker will take
positive steps to avoid a malolactic fermentation, usually by keeping the temperature low.

The final decision is whether to bottle the wine as it is, or give it a period of aging in oak barrels, which
adds spiciness and richness to the finished product. If so the wine may well be left on its lees
(fermentation sediments) to acquire extra character, and a periodic stirring up of the settled gunge with a
wooden paddle helps to maximize the effect. Before bottling the wine is generally subjected to a final
filtration to ensure that it is absolutely bright and clear, but this has become a contentious issue in recent
years, with some authorities feeling that it strips the wine of to much of its character

Internationally used white grapes which have become most increasingly famous today are:
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Gewuerztraminer,
Viongnier and various members of the Muscat family.

Making red wine is a more complicated process in that the grape juice has to be dyed. The skins of the
grapes may be red (or deep purple) but their juice is as colorless as that of white grapes. The colour has
therefore to be put into the wine by leaching it out of the skins.

When the grapes have to been de-stemmed as well and crushed, and perhaps pressed as well, the mass of
smashed skins and pips is left sitting in the juice. A period of cold soaking before the fermentation
begins, is now common practice.
It is thought to emphasize the wine’s fruitiness and to encourage the development of good ripe, fruit
tannin which, which together with acidity, will give the wine the structure to age well.

Red wine is fermented at higher temperatures than white wine: generally in the 25-30°C /
77-86°F range, although some reds are allowed to go higher than this. The mass of skins, known as
pomance, is left in the fermenting juice. Of course its not doing any good merely floating on the surface,
and so either the pomance is punched down manually a couple of times a day, or a device is used that
pumps wine from the bottom of the vat over the floating cap of skins to give the fermenting juice the
benefit of it.
Malolactic fermentation is automatically carried out for the vast majority of red wines.

After the fermentation the wine may be allow a further few days of sitting in contact with the skins,
before they are removed and the wine transferred to its maturation vessel. This can be either stainless
steel or oak, as in the case of white wine. Premium reds may be kept for a year or more in barrels in the
wine cellar, during the course of which they may pick up more tannin (of a different kind, this time from
the wood) and undergo a very gentle process of oxygenation. Some reds are meant to be aged by the
buyer, others as the Spanish Riserva quality reds, have been aged and are intended to be drunk on release.
Major international red grape varieties are:

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz or (Shyrah) and Grenache

Grapes of importance in their homeland but with international reputations:

Gamay of Beaujolais, Spain’s Tempranillo, Italy’s Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, California’s Zinfandel
and South Africa’s Pinotage

Rose wine is basically a partially made red. It achieves its pale tint by virtue
Of the fact that the skins of the red grapes are only allowed a short maceration

In the juice (usually) less than 24 hours before being removed. Some pink wine is made as an off-cut of a
serious red, in that a little of the juice is siphoned off after the maceration has begun, with the rest going
on to turn into
Fully fledged red.

In the case of pink Champagne, a kind of cheat’s approach has been sanctioned by the French wine
authorities. The colour is attained by simply adding a slug of ready-made red wine to the finished white.
If that sounds a little sloppy for the product as illustrious as champagne, rest assured that it is
Preferable to the coloring materials that were resorted to in the 19th century.

The alternative method is to allow a short maceration period on the skins. Such as wine is said to have
been saignee, or bled, but the technique is used for only about 2% of all pink champagne on the market.
Although those who use it dispute the fact, the taste is essentially the same.
2. From Grape To Glass

The “Ingredients” The “Contents”

of Fresh Grape Juice of Wine
per per
volume volume
73.5% Water 86% water
25% carbohydrates, of which 12% alcohol (ethyl alcohol)
5% - cellulose
20% - sugar
0.8% organic acids, of which 1% glycerol
0.54% tartaric acid
0.25% malic acid
0.01% citris acid
0.5% minerals, of which 0.4% organic acids, of which
0.025% calcium; 0.01% chloride; 0.025% 0.20% tartaric acid
magnesium; 0.25% potasium; 0.05% 0.15% lactic acid
phosphate; 0.005% silicic acid; 0.035% 0.05% succinic acid (plus traces of malic acid
sulphate; 0.1% others such as iron, sodium, citric acid)
copper, aluminium, boron etc.
0.13% tannin and colour pigments 0.2% carbohydrates (unfermentable sugar)
0.07% nitrogenous matter, of which 0.2% minerals, of which
0.05% amino acids 0.02% calcium; 0.01% chloride; 0.02%
0.005% protein magnesium; 0.075% potassium; 0.05%
0.015% other nitrogenous matter phosphate; 0.05% silicic acid; 0.02% sulphate;
Traces mainly vitamins such as thiamine, 0.1% tannin and colour pigments
riboflavin, pyrodoxine, nicotinic acid etc.
0.045% volatile acids (mostly acetic acid)

0.025% nitrogenous matter, of which

0.01%amino acids
0.015% protein and other nitrogenous matter
0.025% esters
0.004 aldehydes
0.001% higher alcohols
traces mainly vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin,
pyrodoxine, nicotinic acid etc.