Wine Making 101 - From the Vine to the Bottle

Have you ever wondered how a simple grape can go from being fresh and sweet on the vine to ending up as one of the most sought after drinks in the world? The secret is in the process of wine making. There is more to it than just crushing grapes and bottling the juice, there are ten main steps in the wine making process:

First, the grapes must be picked from the vine. This is either done by hand or with special farm equipment.
Next the grapes are pressed and/or crushed to separate the flesh, the skin, and the juice. This part of the process will depend on the wine being made. Some wines, such as red wine, require the grapes to be crushed and then pressed to remove the juice. However, white wines are usually just pressed to minimize the contact of the juice with the skin.
Yeast is added to the mixture so that it can ferment. During fermentation the yeast feasts on the sugar and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide as by-products. The carbon dioxide will cause the skins to rise to the top of the vat where they are removed.
After the fermentation process the wine must be stabilized by lowering the temperature. The liquid is brought down to a level near freezing and kept there for two weeks. This allows for the removal of the wine crystals which are suspended in the liquid.
Next the wine is allowed to ferment for three to six months. During this time tests are completed to insure that the wine has the correct bacteria level and is fermenting properly.
Before bottling the wine it must first be clarified to clean out any particles, from microscopic to large, that might ruin the wine.
The next step is to mix or blend two or more wines in order to achieve the perfect taste.
Once the wine is free of anything that could spoil it, and mixed to the appropriate taste, preservatives are added to keep the liquid fresh.
The wine is now ready to be bottled and sealed.
Finally, the wine is laid to rest until it is time for shipment and consumption.

The eleventh, unofficial step, is to enjoy that glass of wine even more now that you understand the wine making process.

Have you ever considered visiting a US winery? There are many to choose from. Once you have taken this trip, and your wine collection is growing, you should consider using wine software to manage your collection.