TECHNIQUE OR

PROCESSES IN
MAKING WINE

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from grapes fermented without the addition
of sugars, acids, enzymes, water, or other nutrients.
MOST IMPORTANT WINE MAKING PROCESSES:
-Harvest date
-Maceration Time(a.k.a ‘skin contact’)
-Fermentation temperature
-Punchdowns vs. Pumpover
-Oak vs. Steel Tank
-Corks vs. Screwcaps

Harvest date

The harvesting of wine grapes (Vintage) is one of the most crucial steps in the process of wine-
making. The time of harvest is determined primarily by the ripeness of the grape as measured
by sugar, acid and tannin levels with winemakers basing their decision to pick based on the style of
wine they wish to produce. The weather can also shape the timetable of harvesting with the threat of
heat, rain, hail, and frost which can damage the grapes and bring about various vine diseases. In
addition to determining the time of the harvest, winemakers and vineyard owners must also
determine whether to use hand pickers or mechanical harvesters. The harvest season typically falls
between August & October in the Northern Hemisphere and February & April in the Southern
Hemisphere. With various climate conditions, grape varieties, and wine styles the harvesting of
grapes could happen in every month of the calendar year somewhere in the world. In the New
World it is often referred to as the crush.[1][2]

Maceration tiMe ( a.k.a ‘skin contact’)

 is the winemaking process where the phenolic materials of the grape—tannins, coloring
agents (anthocyanins) and flavor compounds—are leached from the grape skins, seeds and stems
into the must. To macerate is to soften by soaking, and maceration is the process by which the red
wine receives its red color, since raw grape juice (with the exceptions of teinturiers) is clear-grayish
in color. In the production of white wines, maceration is either avoided or allowed only in very
limited manner in the form of a short amount of skin contact with the juice prior to pressing. This is
more common in the production of varietals with less natural flavor and body structure
like Sauvignon blanc and Sémillon. For Rosé, red wine grapes are allowed some maceration between
the skins and must, but not to the extent of red wine production.[1]

fermentation time
The higher your fermentation temperature the faster your yeast will convert sugars into alcohol
and carbon dioxide. While this sounds great on the surface you never really want to rush anything
when it comes to making wine.

Warm fermentations can lack character as well as any terroir you might be hoping to capture in
your finished wine. Cooler fermentation temperatures help preserve the uniqueness of your specific
fruit and helps the character and terroir shine through. For better or worse cool fermentations take
longer to complete. According to yeast producer Wyeast red wines should be fermented between 70
and 85 degrees F (20-30 degrees C). You’ll get better color and tannin extraction at the higher end of
this spectrum.

In this temperature range fruity flavors and aromas don’t get preserved which can be good for a
red wine. When fermentation temperatures that approach 90 degrees F though you can run into
cooked flavors.

White wine fermentation temperatures should be between 45 and 60 degrees F (7-16 degrees C).
These lower temperatures help preserve fruitiness and volatile aromatics, characteristics more in line
with a white wine.

White wine fermentations take longer. Academy member Rob ferments his white wines at 45 – 50
degrees and they can take up to a couple of months to complete.

PUMPOVER VS PUNCHDOWN
 During harvest we bring in the grapes by cold picking during the night or early morning. The
grapes are de-stemmed into fermentation bins or into small open tanks that are cooled down with
dry ice for a 3-4-day duration called a “cold soak”. The cold soak process is an important step that
promotes optimal color extraction from the grapes skins. On the last day of the cold soak we let the
“must” (freshly pressed fruit juice that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit) warm up
which allows the fermentation to begin with the native yeast that’s contained in the “bloom” (white
residue on the grapes). The native fermentation will create a more complex finished wine. During
fermentation the berries and skins will float up to the top from all the CO2 that is produced by the
yeast while the grapes are fermenting. This creates what is called the “cap”. We try to keep the skins
in contact with the juice as much as possible to extract as much flavor and color as possible. To do
this, we use a process called “punch downs”. By punching down the cap we are pushing the skins
back down using a punch down tool or process called “pump overs”. Pump overs are when you take
the juice from the bottom the fermentation vessel and pump it over the top of the cap. Once the
fermentation is finished (the yeast has eaten all of the sugars) we drain as much of the wine as
possible and press the remaining must to extract as much wine out as possible without overly
squeezing the grapes. Over squeezing can extract bitter and undesirable compounds.

Oak vs. steel tank

Oak wine barrels have been used for centuries in the fermentation and aging processes of wine by
wine crafters. Aging wine in oak wine barrels provides the wine with aromas that would typically be
found on your spice rack – nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, vanilla and clove to name a few. And as it
passes over your tongue, hints of caramel, mocha, butter and toffee are just a few that come
forward.
The oak that is used when manufacturing these barrels comes primarily from one of two countries –
America or France. Although they are similar, French oak is typically more expensive, has higher
wood tannins, and the grain is narrower. Why are these differences important? The American variety
tends to have a more significant influence on the finished flavor of the wine – specifically the wine
has a sweeter palate profile, and imparts nuances of vanilla. However, on the other hand French oak
is considered to be the “gold standard” in the industry.
And using steel barrels provides another advantage as well. They impart no flavor into the wine, so
they are perfect for experimenting with exact flavors. With oak barrels it is difficult to control the
wine’s exposure to air, and this exposure can alter the flavor of the wine dramatically. Steel barrels
allow much more control over flavors.
And there is one more factor to consider. Stainless steel barrels are much easier to clean than oak
barrels. They have a very smooth surface inside, so cleaning them takes almost no time. Oak barrels
tend to get scratched on the inside, and the wine seeps into those scratches and lingers long after the
wine is removed. And this means that the flavor of the next wine to be stored in that barrel will be
influenced by the remnants of the wine that was aged in that barrel previously. And this can interfere
with both the flavor and the quality of the wine. And when you use steel barrels there are no
woodnotes present, and the finish is crisp, fresh and light and the wine becomes more fruit forward
(which is what many people prefer.)

Cork vs. screwcaps

Cork Versus Screw Cap: Don't Judge A Wine By How It's Sealed. If you're a wine drinker, you've
probably noticed that screw caps are no longer considered the closure just for cheap vino.
Increasingly, bottles of very good wines are unscrewed, rather than uncorked.Jan 2, 2014

Screw caps for wine bottles have been around since the late 1950s, but they were initially associated
with value-oriented jugs of wine. That image started to change about a decade ago, when
commercial winemakers in New Zealand and Australia started using the enclosures much more
widely for all kinds of wine, including some higher-end bottles.
And according to screw cap enthusiasts, the science establishing the ability of screw caps to seal and
perform well goes back to the 1980s.

Thank you!!!!!!!!
Group 2:
Leader: Loraine Angeli Abugho
Members:
Sheriel Christese Montecillo
Joy Mary Matugas

Jenny Batalon
Joshua Lawas

Jemar Perez