Winemaking – How Is Wine Made?

Winemaking is a fascinating process that combines craft, science, and the art of making wine. It's all about processing grapes so that a delicious drink emerges from them. But how exactly is wine made, and what factors influence its quality? Learn more about the winemaking process. Discover {nrEvents} wine tastings in Germany and Austria.

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The History of Winemaking: Historical Reasons Behind Conventional Wine's Current State

Winemaking has a long history, though it's been shaped by a relatively short period that influenced our taste and our idea of what wine should be. The development of winemaking is closely tied to the development of civilization itself. The earliest record of winemaking dates back over 6,000 years to the Middle East. Over the centuries, winemaking has evolved and refined itself. After World War II, the standardization and mass production of wine increased to meet growing demand. This process was supported by the use of chemical products in winemaking. The reasons behind these changes are historical and can be traced back to the use of chemicals in agriculture, aimed at enabling larger harvests and more efficient production. The consequences include not just a reduction in wine's diversity, but also health concerns tied to additives and chemicals in wine.

What Do You Need to Make Wine?

There's a range of equipment used in winemaking, including:

• Grapes: to make wine, ripe, healthy grapes are processed.
• Fermentation vessel: a fermentation vessel, like a fermentation barrel, is essential for turning grapes into wine.
• Yeast: yeast is a key ingredient in winemaking, since it converts sugar into alcohol.
• Bottling container: after fermentation, the wine needs to be transferred into a bottling container.
• Wine bottles: to store and enjoy wine long-term, you need suitable wine bottles with a cork or screw cap.
• Wine siphon: a wine siphon can be used to transfer wine from one container to another.
• Hydrometer: a hydrometer is used to measure the wine's alcohol content and monitor fermentation.
• Sulfites: sulfites are preservatives that can be added to wine to extend its shelf life and prevent bacterial growth.
• Filter: a filter can be used to remove cloudy particles from the wine and give it a clear appearance.

That said, there are also wines that use little to no chemicals or additives during production: organic wine, biodynamic wine, natural wine, or "nothing but grapes." In these cases, the winemaking process can look quite different, and the equipment used can vary accordingly.

What Role Does Viticulture Play in Winemaking?

Viticulture, or grape growing, also plays an important role in successful winemaking. During harvest, hand-picking is recommended, since using machinery can damage the grape skins early on. Any resulting cracks can let in bacteria and fungi, which then makes the use of chemicals in winemaking necessary. That's why it's important to create a stable mini-ecosystem, which includes:

• Careful pruning of the vines
• Close observation of growth throughout the year
• The gentlest possible approach to managing any pests that do appear
• Precisely timing the harvest

Successfully making wine requires a great deal of experience and knowledge.

How Does Wine Fermentation Work?

Wine fermentation is a crucial part of winemaking. Put simply, wine is fermented grape juice. But how exactly does this fermentation process work?

• Wine fermentation is a biological process in which yeasts convert the sugar in grape juice into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The yeasts are activated either by adding special yeast cultures or through natural yeasts already present on the grapes and in the cellar.
• Fermentation takes place in specific vessels, such as stainless steel tanks or simple fermentation vats. During fermentation, the temperature rises and foam forms on the surface. The yeast breaks down the sugar, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide in the process.
• The duration of fermentation depends on several factors, including the type of wine, the yeast, and the temperature. After fermentation, the wine is clarified and transferred into barrels or bottles to continue aging and developing.
• Good control over wine fermentation is crucial for the wine's quality, since it influences flavor, aroma, and color. That's why it's important to carefully monitor and optimize the process.

White Wine

• White grapes are typically used to make white wine
• The grapes are pressed and the juice goes into a fermentation tank
• Yeasts convert the sugar into alcohol, and the wine is aged in various vessels
• White wine is more prone to instability, so sulfur is often added
• Conventional wine production often uses cultured yeasts to achieve specific flavor profiles
• With spontaneous fermentation, no cultured yeasts are used, only wild yeasts native to the winery
• This individualizes flavor development and lets the grapes' natural aromas shine through more strongly

Spontaneous fermentation refers to the natural fermentation process of wine, in which the yeasts responsible for converting sugar into alcohol are naturally present on the grape skins and in the surrounding environment, without any additional yeast being added.

Orange Wine

• The grapes aren't pressed right away, but instead left to sit on the skins (the mash) for a certain period of time
• During this time, pigments, tannins, and other aromas are released from the skins into the must (juice)
• The resulting wines become fuller-bodied, more structured, and more expressive
• Depending on the production method, the grapes are either lightly pressed or left to burst naturally under the weight of gravity
• Orange wines made this way offer a wide range of flavors, producing different aromas and taste experiences even from well-known grape varieties

The so-called "mash" is a mixture of crushed grapes, skins, and seeds that ferments during winemaking. This process is also known as mash fermentation.

Red Wine

• Red wines and orange wines are produced in a similar way
• Both involve skin contact, which allows more compounds to transfer into the juice
• The tannins that enter the wine can taste unpleasant at first, but they mellow out over time and give the wine structure
• This structure is what makes the wine age-worthy and allows it to be stored
• White wines should generally be drunk within one to two years, while red and orange wines can be enjoyed either right after bottling or after some aging time, depending on the individual wine

Why Isn't Wine Vegan?

In some cases, wine isn't vegan. Conventional winemaking uses animal products, for example during filtering. Various agents made from or containing animal products are also commonly used to refine wine afterward. Animal products like gelatin, egg whites, or fish bladders can also be used to clarify and stabilize wine. If these animal products remain in the wine, it's no longer vegan. That said, there are plenty of vegan wines on the market made without animal products. Vegans should therefore pay close attention to production methods when buying wine.

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Which Has More Calories – Beer or Wine?

When it comes to calorie intake, many people wonder whether beer or wine is the better choice. The answer to that question is simple:

So wine contains more calories than beer. That said, people generally don't drink as much wine as beer, which tends to even out the difference in calorie intake.

What Percentage of Alcohol Does Wine Have?

Most wines have an alcohol content between 11 and 14 percent. In the EU, wine must contain at least 9.5% alcohol, while yeasts typically die off once alcohol content reaches around 16.5%. Beyond that point, you enter the world of fortified wines, which tend to be sweeter, since the remaining residual sugar is no longer being converted into alcohol.

What Are Sulfites in Wine?

1. Sulfites, meaning sulfur, are a natural byproduct of wine fermentation, so even natural wines contain a minimal amount of sulfur. Sulfites are classified as an allergen, which means they must be labeled. That's why every wine bottle in the world carries the notice "contains sulfites." That said, the actual amount of sulfites doesn't need to be listed, and here the differences can be enormous.
2. Sulfites act as a preservative. That means they can be used to kill off bacteria and fungi, but in doing so, they also halt all ongoing biological processes within the wine. That's why natural wines are sometimes called "vin vivant," living wines, in French, since their internal processes never come to a complete stop. This generally means the wine's flavor keeps developing over time, allowing more nuanced characteristics to emerge.
3. In conventional wine production, though, that's exactly what's avoided. Sulfites are added specifically to prevent vintage variation or any potentially unpredictable further flavor development: sulfites are added both to the must and again before bottling, to produce a wine that tastes reliably similar, batch after batch. Once you've gotten used to the flavor nuances of natural wine, you can sometimes taste, in a conventional wine, the exact point where flavor development was cut short by the addition of sulfites.
4. The loss of full flavor development is a major downside caused by adding sulfites and other fining agents. Large amounts of sulfites, along with other additives, can lead to unpleasant or even unpalatable flavors. In conventional red wine production, the maximum permitted sulfite level is 150 mg/l. For rosé and white wines, that limit is 200 mg/l. To avoid flavor issues caused by added sulfites, it's best to opt for natural wines, which contain sulfites only as a natural fermentation byproduct.

Fining agents in wine are substances used during production to remove unwanted haziness and make the wine clearer and more visually appealing.

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How Long Does Opened Wine Last?

Opened wine can stay good for anywhere from 1 to 5 days, depending on the type and how it's stored. That said, air and warmth can affect the flavor and quality of the wine. It's best to keep opened wine in the refrigerator and drink it as soon as possible to preserve its flavor.