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Home Useful information about wine HOW TO MAKE WINE. THE ROAD OF THE BAHRAINI LIQUOR FROM THE VINEYARD TO THE GLASS

HOW TO MAKE WINE. BAHIC LICORS FROM LIFE PANA IN PAHAR

By 2Useful information about wine
A live drink, the wine gradually turns from mash into a drink with dozens of shades and flavors. What are the steps involved in this complex process?

Winemaking. Wine production for all

Winemaking is the process by which wine is produced and includes all the steps through which the wort passes until it turns into wine. Winemaking is different depending on the white or black raw material, as well as on the wine we want to obtain – dry, semi-dry, semisweet, sweet.
The way in which this process takes place depends on the quality of the wine, the finished product, which reaches your table and each of these steps must be respected, in order to obtain a quality wine, regardless of variety or color.
The winemaking process starts from the must, but when we talk about wine production, we have to start, in fact, from the care of the vineyard. Grapes, the raw material of wine, take from the soil all the substances necessary to develop, and they are printed to the wine, even if the fruit goes through so many steps until it reaches the glass. It is therefore extremely important the basis of the wine, i.e. the vine and its fruit, they play the same role as the foundation of a house.
We will walk together this path of Bahic liquor, so that you better understand how to make a good wine and how many aspects must be followed so that at dinner, along with a perfectly cooked food, you also have a wine that compliments it and completes the experience.

Stages of wine preparation

To some extent, we all know or have heard of some of the steps we are about to tell you about. There are lawsuits that I met in my grandparents' backyard or that I heard from the stories of parents who grew up in the village or of friends with relatives who made wine in the household. We review below the steps that a wine producer ticks to get this potion so complex:

Grape harvesting. When and depending on what factors are made

There is not necessarily a date for picking grapes. The appropriate harvesting time depends on the variety, but also on the weather conditions or orientation towards the cardinal points. The same is true of the sugar level of the grapes as well as the phenolic maturity (given, for example, the colour and taste of the skin or seeds of the grape), the acidity, the pH, etc.

Ideally, the harvest date is set with the help of the refractometer, which shows the amount of sugar in the grapes. When the sugar level in the grains no longer increases 2-3 days in a row, the vineyard can be galled. It is also very important to track the alcoholic potential. In general, from 17 grams of sugar will result from fermentation an alcoholic grade, so in order to produce a wine with alcoholic strength between 12 and 15 degrees, we will have to pick grapes with a sugar content between 204 and 255 g/l must. Another index that gives us the understanding that we can harvest the vineyard is the weighing of the grains-when the weight of 100 grains has reached maximum values, we can start harvesting. As most of us already know, these conditions are usually met in the autumn, in the second decade of September.
The ideal sugar level in grapes starts at 170-180g/l-l in the case of white wines (not in the case of a D.O.C. wine which must be at least 11.5 degrees alcohol, i.e. the must has a minimum sugar content of 195.5 g/l) and 180-200 g/l in the case of red wines. Red wines need a higher alcoholic grade to have ripening potential, preferably above 13,5 degrees, i.e. they should be harvested when the sugar content is above 230 g/l. We must also take into account that harvesting must take about two weeks, so that the grapes do not go into over-maturation or defend phenomena that lead to their alteration.
After harvesting or during harvesting, another vital step is carried out for obtaining a good wine-selecting grapes and removing fruit that has traces of mould or diseases specific to vines, rot, etc. For a quality wine, the vineyard must be healthy, grapes that have traces of alteration are NOT used if a high quality wine is to be obtained.

Elimination of bunches and pigtails. Why this process is important

Good wine is made only from grapes and bunches and scods of grapes must not be found in the raw material. This process is also called desciorchinare, is done mechanically and is of particular importance when it comes to the quality of the final product.
The bunches alter the taste of the wine, giving it a disturbing astringency, a grassy aroma, while also affecting its color, which will be darker, with a cloudy appearance, even after it has been decanted.

Winemaking of white wines vs. winemaking of red wines. First Crossroads

After peeling, the course of the white grapes is different from the course of the red grapes. Here's what path each of them takes:

  • The white grapes are opened, they go towards crushing, or rather pressing, separating the must from the skins and seeds. Through this process is obtained the wort, which is then transferred, cooled and left to clear up to 24 hours. After clearing add the yeasts and leave to ferment.
  • The red grapes are left to ferment together with the skins, so that the colour and tannins necessary to obtain a refined wine with a rich body and structure can be extracted. At this point, the selected yeasts are added, which will cause a controlled fermentation and which will give a wine of a certain typicality. Maceration can take between a few days and a few weeks. After completion of fermentation, separate the liquid from the vegetable residues, skins and seeds by decanting and then pressing.

Crushing the beans. How and with what to do

Many of us have heard and even seen that utensil used in households to crush grapes. It is a suggestive tool called "smashing", which in its rudimentary version has a vat, a crank and crushing cylinders. There is also electric crusher, and some of them also perform the function of removing the bunch.
For crushing grapes, presses, which may be continuous or discontinuous and which can be mechanically, hydraulically or pneumatically operated, shall also be used. The discontinuous and pneumatic presses are considered best suited for obtaining a must (and therefore also a wine) of high quality.

Fermentation of wine. Issues to be taken into account

Fermentation of wine or, in popular parlance, "boiling", is a process that is due to the activity of fungi (yeasts). Naturally in the grape and, by implication, in the must, there are yeasts, but in some cases, when looking for a certain flavour, selected yeasts will be added, through which this process is controlled by the manufacturer. Controlling fermentation actually controls the aroma, taste and body of the wine.

During fermentation, yeasts consume sugar and convert it into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This process takes place in several stages-initial, tumultuous and final fermentation-and has a duration that depends on the final product that the manufacturer wants to obtain.
In order to start fermentation, certain conditions must be met. These conditions provide yeasts that turn must into wine an environment conducive to development and multiplication. We must therefore consider the following aspects:
  • Temperature – As a general rule, the right temperature to start fermentation is between 15 and 35 degrees Celsius. The ideal fermentation temperature for white wines is 18 degrees C, it can increase during "boiling", but not more than 25, so as not to spoil the flavors of the final product. In the case of red wines the ideal temperature is 22 degrees, not more than 35 degrees, for the same reasons. The thermoregulation during fermentation is carried out by means of cooling "shirts" with which the wine fermentation containers are provided, through which a cooling agent circulates.
  • Time – the duration of fermentation depends on the temperature, if fermentation takes place at 20 degrees Celsius, it takes 15 days, but if it takes 30 degrees, 3 days will be sufficient for the wort to turn into wine.
  • Oxygen – yeasts need it to reproduce.

In the case of fermentation time, it should be mentioned that it is often accelerated in the case of industrial wines, and, like any process which is unnaturally rushed, has consequences that are apparent from the quality of the wine. Industrial wine ferments faster, in a few days, by increasing the temperature.

Selected yeasts will not be used in biodynamic wine. Fermentation will be done by the hundreds of yeast families found on the surface of the grains. Basically, we're talking about the true typicality of the terroir. Wine also takes on a higher complexity, as each family comes with its own contribution in the production of substances that delight us taste or olfactory.
Spontaneous fermentation is extremely unpredictable, however. If it is not well controlled by temperature it can lead to undesirable results, which is why most producers prefer to use selected yeasts in fermentation, knowing from the outset what results they expect if they apply the rigorous protocol.
Few grape varieties bring existing flavours into the wine in the fruit (e.g. Muscat). As a result, in the case of most wines, taste and olfactory flavours are given by yeasts during fermentation. The use of the same types of selected yeasts may, in principle, lead to the same wines even if they are producers or even different terroirs.

Clearing the wine. The most used methods

After the fermentation has ended, the wine begins to clear up and in the absence of human intake. It is a natural process by which the solid elements leave the base, and the wine becomes more and more clear, getting an increasingly pleasant color. Among the methods used by wine producers for faster wine clearing are:

  • Centrifugation
  • Pasteurization
  • Subjecting to very low temperatures
  • filtration
  • Addition of glues such as bentonite, caolin, sulphur dioxide (in popular parlance this stage is called "treating" wine)

In the case of organic wines, only gravitational filtration with natural bentonite or sterile plate filtration is permitted.

Winemaking procedures vary depending on the facilities. Thus, after natural clarification, in the case of wines made in households, follows what is called "pritocy" or "pulling from the yeast of the wine". Basically, once the yeasts reach the base of the pot, the wine is transferred to the barrel.

Tests to be carried out after the completion of the winemaking process

Those who produce wine for commercial purposes also undergo laboratory tests, including:

  • Tests to determine alcoholic strength
  • Total acidity test in tartaric acid
  • Volatile acidity test in acetic acid
  • Free sulphur dioxide
  • Total sulphur dioxide
  • Total dry extract
  • Non-reducing dry extract
  • Reducing sugar
  • Total sugar
  • Relative density
  • Methyl alcohol
  • pH test
  • Malic acid
  • Citric acid
  • Low-temperature stability tests
  • High-temperature stability test

6 rules and secrets to keep in mind for producing good wine

A good wine, like any good drink or quality product, is made following a few rigorous rules, which will lead to a satisfactory result for both the manufacturer and the taster. In short, the rules and secrets would look like this:

  1. Only ripe grapes are used – that is why the time of collection is an important element, because only ripe grapes, with a high sugar level, can give a good, tasty and aromatic wine.
  2. The barrels wash very well before the wine is stored in them – An extremely important rule that is often bypassed or insufficiently followed in the case of wines made in the household, can make the difference between a wine with a special flavor and one with an unpleasant iz, of poor quality.
  3. Plastic, wood, stainless steel tools, nothing made of iron are used – From the pallets to tools such as the cylinders from the crusher, all these elements must be made of wood, stainless steel or plastic, never made of iron. The use of iron instruments leads to the so-called "cashing" of the wine, characterized by the browning of the drink and by an oxidized, "breathing" taste.
  4. Grapes are not crushed with bunchese – Only grapes, not bunches must enter the process of wine production. The bunches change the taste of the wine and give it a sour, grassy, unpleasant one.
  5. The must is filtered before fermentation – The must should be left to ferment clean, without impurities and without other elements of the grape, otherwise the taste could be sour, devoid of flavor. This step applies only to white wine.
  6. The must is left to ferment in cold rooms – Fermentation should not be done hot, as it will be accelerated and a wine of lower quality will be obtained.
Biological wine and the main differences in winemaking from conventional wine

Biological wine and the main differences in winemaking from conventional wine

Talking about wine production and winemaking, inevitably there are major differences between the way conventional wine is produced and how organic wine from the vine gets to the glass on our table. The differences between these two products are major because in one of them the main role is quantity, and in another the main role is played by nature.

From the way the vineyard is cared for, to the treatments to which it is subjected, the two types of wine go down a completely different path.

Vine treatments, elements of major importance in biological wine

Biological wine is produced from grapes in which chemical treatments are minimal being compensated by increased attention and care in the execution of manual works. Producers of biological wines track the vitality of the terroir, so the use of pesticides is completely bypassed. These wines are also called 'terroir wines', in which the winegrower aims to ensure that all the elements involved-soil, climate, vine variety-to be naturally blended in such a way that human intervention is minimal.

In place of insecticides, pheromone traps are used, and the level of treatments applied is limited to the same tools that our grandparents used in life. Instead of chemical treatments that do not only destroy weeds, bacteria, fungi and harmful insects and that penetrate into the inner system of the plant and as a result of the grape grain, handwork is used as much as possible, and as protection is used as in the time of grandparents "black stone" or scientifically copper sulphate of natural origin. All methods of care of the vineyards from which the biological wine is produced are intended not to disturb the life of the biosystem.

Must and its role in the production of a biological wine

For the production of a biological and high quality wine, must is an element with a crucial role. The production of an organic wine begins with the use of a must from grapes not treated with systemic chemicals, i.e. substances that will be found inside the grape. It is not enough to worry about producing an organic wine from must to wine, the concern to obtain a natural wine starts from the way the grapes from which the must was grown and cared for.

Sulphites, conventional wine and biological wine. What you need to know about these substances

One of the most used phrases when it comes to evaluating a wine takes into account whether wine "is with, or without sulphites". In reality what is important to know is not if, but how many sulphites contains a wine.

In general, sulphites were added in small quantities in the wine production process to prevent oxidation and to preserve as much as possible the taste and olfactory qualities of the wine. Unfortunately, larger amounts of sulphites are added to correct hygiene deficiencies during winemaking.
Grapes and therefore wine naturally contain sulphites, so there are no wines that do not contain this substance, but it all depends on the quantity present. Lately, "0 sulphite wines" have appeared. We must remember, however, that if the level is below 10 mg/litre we can accept that the wine is sulphate-free, because this is the amount present from natural origins.
Wine producers, for the most part, add potassium metabisulphite to the grape acceptance vessel at the end of fermentation or before bottling for disinfectant purposes, to prevent oxidation or to resume fermentation. It is clearly desirable to limit this addition of synthetic chemical compounds, but this requires exceptional hygiene of the winery and investment in technologies that prevent the oxidation of must or wine.
The sulphur dose used by wine producers is regulated by Government Decision No 769/2010,which specifies for conventional wine the following doses, depending on the type of wine:
  • 150 mg/l – dry red wine
  • 210 mg/l – white wine and dry rose
  • 260 mg/l – white wine and semi-dry rose

For organic wine the quantities allowed are considerably lower:

  • 100mg/l – dry red wine
  • 150 mg/l – white wine and dry rose
  • 170 mg/l – white wine and semi-dry rose

Keeping wine in optimal conditions after production

It is not sufficient for the raw material to be exceptional or for the wine-making to be executed by the book, if the wine is not then kept in optimal conditions, it loses its qualities. In order for the wine to retain its flavour, we must consider four essential aspects:

  • Temperature – Wine is stored at a temperature between 7 and 18 degrees Celsius. In the case of white and rose wines the optimum temperature is closer to the lower threshold, and in the case of red wines closer to the upper threshold. At the same time, it is of major importance that the temperature is constant.
  • Humidity – Ideally, the wine should be stored in environments where the humidity is 70%.
  • Light – It is an important aspect, and wines suffer greatly from exposure to bright light. That is why poor lighting is maintained in the cellars.
  • Position – Wine does not like movement, it needs peace to preserve its properties. Therefore, whether it is stored in the barrel or stored in bottles, the movement of the containers must be minimal. If the wine is kept in bottles, the recommended position shall be horizontal so that the wine is in contact with the stopper, thereby preventing the cork from drying out and air entering the bottles.

More about the correct storage of the wine, either after its production or after opening a bottle that you want to consume later, you can learn from this article dedicated to the preservation of wine.

Wine is one of the most special and varied drinks in the world. The process by which it is made sometimes acquires ritual nuances and has a special mystery, which brings us to the sophisticated French region of Bordeaux and the non-aoous households from us. Regardless of the grape variety from which it is produced or the region in which it is produced, it is certain that as long as the ultimate aim is to obtain a quality wine, the road will certainly be easier to navigate.
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