Wine Production
All Table wines from the wine producing areas of the world are produced by the same fundamental process that comprises of 3 main steps .
I.Viticulture:- it can be defined as the science and practice of grape culture. The species is “Vities Vinifera” .Grapes can be grown from a wide range of latitudes in climates ranging to very hot to very wet to very dry .The quality of the wine depends a lot on viticulture .
It involves following steps ;-
1.Choosing of a vineyard depending on the wine variety , root stock and clone .
2.Soil testing and soil preparation .
3.Vine planting ,trading & pruning { Cutting off unwanted vegetative parts e.g shoots }
4.Controls of vine pests , vine diseases and weeds.
5.Fruit sampling & harvesting
II.Vinification:- The process central to vinification is fermentation . Fermentation is a process of converting sugar into Ethanol Alcohol and carbon dioxide [co2] under anaerobic metabolism of yeast .
Vinification includes stages
1.Chaptalisation
2.Carbonic Maceration
3.Racking
4.Finning
Defining Stages of Vinification
1.Chaptalisation is the addition of sugar to the grape juice if the sugar content is not enough to induce fermentation .
2.The process of maceration done under anaerobic conditions where all the oxygen is removed from the air, and carbon dioxide is added is called “Carbonic Meceration”.
3.Racking is the process in which the wine is shifted from one cask to another to leave the sediments behind.
4.Finning is the process by which the wine is cleared from all sediments
Care and Storage of Wine
1.All wine bottles should be lying on their sides
2.During storage the wines should be handled as little as possible .
3.Wines should be stored in a cool even temperature.
4.In India it is recommended to store wine in a dark and air conditioned room.If the storage area is not air conditioned , the room be dark , cool and well ventilated .
5.If a metal cap is used ,the bottle should be stored standing upright .
Wine Terms & Description
Body:- The wieght of the wine in the mouth due to its alcoholic content ,extract and to its other physical components .
Corky :-Having a distinct smell of cork arising from a poor, soft or disintegrating cork. Due to the poor cork , air comes into oxidise the wine and wine becomes cork.
Dry :- Not sweet , fully fermentated out .
Finish :-The end taste
Flowery :-Fragrant flowerlike
Full bodied :- High in alcoholic content and extract
Heady :- High in alcohol
Light:- Low in alcohol and less in body Luscious Soft , sweet , fruity and ripe qualities in balance .
Meduim dry :- Containing some sugar dry enough to be drunk before or during a meal
Musty:- Bad smell due to poor cask , cork or storing .
Smoky {flinty}:-A subtle smoky smell characteristics of certain white wines ,E.g Pouilly Fume or Sancerre
Spicy :-A rich ,herb like aroma and flavour as a Gewuraraminer
Young:- Fresh and acidic in aroma ,immature .
