The Art of Winemaking

Wine Production
Wine is said to date back to biblical times, or at the very least to the ancient historical era. Over the years, however, an increase in information and technology about winemaking has made the process easier, faster and more open to perfecting or specialization of certain types of wine. The winemaking process begins with planting wine grapes on land that is of a certain climate that suits the soil to proper cultivation of the grapes. Selecting the optimal soil for growing grapes is a learned talent of winemakers, or vintners. They know that certain vines grow better in certain locations. Once the grapes are picked, wine production can begin through the sequential process of winemaking:

Harvesting the wine grapes
Crushing and de-stemming the grapes
Wine fermentation
Pressing the wine grapes
Malolactic fermentation
Wine maturation
Blending the flavors of the grapes
Wine filtration
Bottling the wine

Although each winemaker essentially completes each step of the process in the same manner, the personal techniques of two vintners can yield differing results from the same type of grape. The location of the grapes can also determine the flavors of the wine. If, for example, you’re using the same type of wine grapes from a California valley or an Italian hilltop, wine will result to have very different flavor notes.

Varietals
Wines that are made mostly from one specific grape are called a varietal of that type of grape. Merlot and Chardonnay, for example, are varietals because the wine is typically made from at least 75% merlot or chardonnay wine grapes. These appear on wine labels as capitalized titles. Once another type of grape has been introduced and blended during winemaking, however, wines are no longer considered varietals. Tasting and learning the subtle differences between each grape-based wines will allow you to discover what kind of wine you prefer while strengthening your skills of identifying the difference in each type.