How to make wine?

Most of us enjoy a glass of wine after a long, tiring day, on vacation or at gatherings. But have you ever wondered how this wine is actually produced? We know it's made from grapes, but what are the steps in the process? From wine production to understanding the different types of wine, everything will be covered in this article. So make sure you read it through to the end and familiarize yourself with the wine-making process. wine.

How to make wine: the steps

Wine production has been around for thousands of years. Basically, making wine is a natural process that requires very little human intervention. Nature provides everything needed to make wine, and it's up to man to embellish, improve or totally erase what nature has provided, as anyone with extensive experience of wine tasting can attest. The winemaking process has five basic stages: 
- Harvesting - Crushing and pressing - Fermentation - Clarification - Ageing and bottling. 
Undoubtedly, there are infinite gaps and variations in this process. In fact, it's these variants and small fluctuations at each stage of the process that make each wine unique and, ultimately, contribute to the greatness or ignominy of a particular wine. 
 The manufacturing stages of white wine and red wine are basically the same, with one exception. The manufacture of rosé wines and fortified or sparkling wines is another matter: both require additional human intervention to succeed.

The harvest

The first step in the wine-making process is certainly the harvest or picking. There would be no wine without fruit, and no fruit other than the grape can produce a reliable amount of sugar annually to produce enough alcohol to preserve the resulting beverage. Nor do other fruits have the acids, esters and tannins needed to make a consistently stable, natural wine. 
 Most winemakers recognize that wine is made in the vineyard, at least figuratively, for this and many other reasons. The winemaking process requires that grapes be harvested at a specific time, preferably when they are physiologically ripe. A mixture of science and traditional tasting is generally used to determine harvest time - with consultants, winemakers, vineyard managers and owners all having a say. 
 Harvesting can be either mechanical or manual. However, most vineyards prefer manual harvesting, as harvesting machines are often too hard on the grapes and the vineyard. When the grapes arrive at the winery, experienced oenologists sort the bunches and remove any rotten or under-ripe fruit before crushing them.

Grinding and pressing

Traditionally, crushing whole bunches of fresh, ripe grapes is the next step in the wine-making process. Today's mechanical crushers follow the old tradition of trampling the grapes to obtain what is commonly known as the must. 
 For thousands of years, men and women have performed the harvest dance in barrels and presses, leading to the magical transformation of grape juice from concentrated sunlight and water held in the bunches of fruit to the healthiest and most mystical of beverages - wine. 
 Change, like everything else in life, involves loss and gain. By using mechanical presses, romance and ritual have largely disappeared from this stage of wine-making. However, the immense health gain that mechanical pressing brings to wine-making is not to be regretted. Thanks to mechanical pressing, wine quality and longevity have been improved, while the winemaker's storage requirements have been reduced. 
However, not all wines begin their life in a press. Sometimes, winemakers decide to start fermentation inside whole, unpressed bunches of grapes. This allows the grapes' natural weight and fermentation to burst the skin before pressing. The steps involved in making white and red wine are essentially the same, right up to crushing and pressing.. If, however, a winemaker needs to make white wine, he will quickly press the must after crushing to separate the juice from the skins, seeds and solids. In this way, undesirable color (which comes from the grape skins, not the juice) and tannins are prevented from seeping into the white wine. 
 Basically, white wine is separated from the grape skin, while red wine is kept in contact with the skin to obtain color, flavor and additional tannins during fermentation.

Fermentation

The fermentation process is truly the magic factor in the wine-making process. The must or juice, if preserved, naturally begins to ferment after a period of 6 to 12 hours, thanks to the natural yeasts present in the air. This natural fermentation phenomenon is particularly appreciated in very clean, well-maintained vineyards and cellars. For various reasons, however, winemakers often prefer to intervene at this stage by inoculating the natural must. In other words, they will eliminate the natural yeasts, then use a yeast strain of their choice to better control the final result. Regardless of the method chosen, fermentation normally begins and continues until all the sugar has been converted to alcohol and a dry wine is produced. The fermentation process can take from ten days to a month, or even longer. The resulting alcohol content of a wine varies according to the total sugar content of the must. An alcohol content of 10% is considered normal in colder climates, while in warmer regions it reaches 15%. A sweet wine is obtained when the fermentation process is stopped before the sugar is completely converted into alcohol. This decision is usually conscious and intentional on the part of the winemaker.

Clarification

After fermentation, the clarification process begins. Producers have the choice of racking or siphoning their wines from one tank or barrel to another, to leave precipitates and solids at the bottom of the fermentation tank. 
It is also possible to filter and refine the wine at this stage. Filters can be used in different ways: a course filter that retains only large solids, or a sterile filter pad that removes any vital character from the wine. 
Clarification occurs when substances are added to a wine to clarify it. Winemakers typically add egg whites, clay or other compounds to the wine to rid it of dead yeast cells and other solids. These substances bind to unwanted solids and force them to the bottom of the tank. 
 After clarification, the wine is racked into another container. It is then ready for bottling or further aging.

Ageing and bottling

Aging and bottling is the final stage in the wine-making process. After clarification, the producer has the choice between bottling the wine immediately, or allowing it to age for a further period, as in the case of "Grand Cru Bordeaux" and "Grand Cabernet Sauvignon". This additional aging can take place in the bottle, in ceramic or stainless steel tanks, in large wooden ovals or in small barrels, commonly known as barriques. 
 There are an infinite number of choices and techniques for this final stage of the process, as well as for the final result. Nevertheless, the result common to all processes is wine.