The wine making process
The wine making process is a long and complicated one that has been refined over centuries. The basic steps are as follows:
1. Harvesting the grapes: This is usually done by hand in the old world and by machine in the new world. The grapes are picked and sorted before being crushed.
2. Crushing and pressing: The grapes are crushed and the juice is extracted. The solids (skins and seeds) are known as the must and are usually pressed separately.
3. Fermentation: The juice is placed in fermentation tanks where yeast is added. The yeast ferments the sugars in the juice into alcohol.
4. Clarification and stabilization: The wine is then clarification and stabilization. This process can involve racking (moving the wine from one tank to another), fining (adding agents to bind to the particles in the wine), and filtering.
5. Aging: The wine is then aged in barrels or bottles. This process can last for months or years and helps to improve the flavor and quality of the wine.
6. Bottling: The wine is then bottled and ready to be enjoyed!.View now
The sugars in grapes and their role in wine making
The sugars in grapes play a vital role in wine making. Grapes are mostly composed of water and carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are essential to the fermentation process, as they provide the yeast with the energy needed to convert grape juice into wine. The main types of sugars found in grapes are glucose and fructose.
Glucose is the most abundant sugar in grape juice, and it is this sugar that yeast convert into alcohol. Fructose is also present in grape juice, but in smaller amounts. It is not converted into alcohol during fermentation, but it does influence the taste of wine.
The amount of sugar in grapes is determined by the grape variety and the ripeness of the grape. The sugar content of a grape increases as the grape matures. This is why late-harvest and dessert wines tend to be sweeter than other wines.
Grapes also contain other types of sugar, such as sucrose and malic acid. However, these sugars are not fermentable and do not play a role in wine making.
We used howtomakewinefromgrapes.com to write this article about making wine from grapes. Reference.