The Wine Philosopher

Winemaking is a very ancient art, and no one knows exactly how it got started. Today we enjoy nearly countless varieties of wine, from dry reds, cabernets and zinfandels to white Chablis and champagnes. The mixing and cross-pollinating different strains of grapes has resulted in the huge assortment of flavors found throughout the world. Long ago the vinifera grapes native to Eurasia were combined with the darker labrusca varieties that are descendants of the native North American wild grapes, and it is this hybrid of the tasty European variety and the hardy North American grape that is most commonly used in winemaking.

Many different procedures are used to make certain types of wine and champagne, but there is a basic set of steps that are included. An overview of the red wine process is given below, demonstrating the necessary sequencing of events that transforms a simple harvest of grapes into a tasty alcoholic delight.

Crushing And Preparation

Red wine is made from red grapes, but the entire fruit is used to get the process started. The grapes are crushed and the juice is not separated from the flesh and skin. The entire contents are put into large pails that are generally filled about four-fifths full. A saccharometer is used to check the sugar content. Generally red wine should be fermented when the sugar reading is approximately double the intended alcohol percentage. In other words the sugar content for 12 percent alcohol wine should read about 24 percent. About 5 teaspoons of sugar are added per five gallons of grapes to raise the sugar level by one percent.

An acid testing kit is used to check the acidity of the juice. Most red wines should be made from juice that has an acidity of about 0.8 percent. A small amount of acid blend is added if the reading is too low.

At this point an additive is introduced to inhibit the growth of unwanted yeasts during fermentation. Campden tablets are commonly used for this purpose. They are dissolved into the juice and after several hours the yeast itself, along with yeast energizer is stirred into the mix.

Fermentation Process

The large containers are then covered and set in a controlled environment that is about 70° Fahrenheit (21° Celsius). The fermenting itself takes about five to seven days and is monitored closely by using the saccharometer to check the sugar content. When the fermentation slows the sugar level will be about 5 percent. At this time the juice is strained through a mesh and the skins and flesh are discarded.

Second Fermentation

The juice is siphoned into large container bottles that have a top fitted with a fermentation lock. These locks allow the escape of carbon dioxide gas but do not allow the entry of wild yeasts or other contaminants. The juice is allowed to ferment once more until the bubbling stops completely and the sugar level drops to near zero.

Racking The Wine

At this point the process slows considerably, as the wine must be racked several times over a period of months to separate the liquid from the sediment that accumulates at the bottom of the containers. The dead yeast cells slowly fall to the bottom of the large fermentation bottles. Known as lees, they are left behind when the liquid is siphoned over and over into clean containers. This process is often repeated about once every two months or whenever there is an accumulation of lees. Additional Campden tablets are often added between rackings, and as the lees make up some of the volume of the wine itself, reserved liquid from the first racking is often kept and added to insure the level of the wine reaches the top of the containers, near the fermentation locks.

Stabilizing And Bottling

After several rackings, the wine is now as much as a year old. It is chilled for several days to stabilize it, then brought back to room temperature and siphoned into wine bottles, which are immediately corked. The filled wine bottles are stored on their sides in a dark area until ready for transport to a distribution center and then to stores. Home vintners usually store their own wine made by this method in a cellar that is just less than room temperature.

Throughout the procedures described above it should be noted that all equipment is sterilized prior to use, much like jars for the making and storing of jams and jellies are likewise made clean. Since wine does not involve the heating or cooking of ingredients it is vital that all containers, measuring instruments and siphon hoses are sanitized before they come into contact with the juice.

This is a simple description of the making of red wine. The various companies that manufacture their brands in bulk often have advanced mechanical equipment that processes huge amounts of juice, and ferment the resulting mash in industrial sized containers. And some of the more popular brands of wine are actually a mix of different strains of grapes, with the addition of one type of juice after the initial fermentation has been