Making Red Wine

This is how red wines are made, mostly on the commercial level.

Among the many types of wine available, red wine is among the best.
There are many types of red wine available, although most are made
using the same methods. This very exhilarating type of wine is made
from black grapes, drawing their color from the skins of the grapes.

During the beginning stages of making red wine, the grapes that have
been picked are put into a crusher. Here, the crusher will gently
break the skins of the grapes. Depending on what type of wine is
being made and the tannin that’s required, the stalks will either be
used or discarded at this point. Next, the grapes are put into a
fermentation vat with the skins. This can be a long process, taking
several weeks to complete. If a higher temperature is used, more
tannin and color will be extracted from the grapes.

When making soft wines, the whole grapes are fermented using sealed
vats. The carbon dioxide that becomes trapped in the sealed vats
ferment the grapes under pressure, which is normally a quick process,
taking only a few days. Keep in mind, the color and tannin content of
the wine is based on how long the fermenting process takes. If the
fermenting process takes a long time, the wine will generally hold
more flavor and color.

The remaining bulk of the grapes will go through a press, being
crushed to create a tannic wine. Sometimes, this tannic wine is added
with a free run wine in order to add a bit more structure to the wine
blend. Both the press and vat wine are then mixed and transferred to
either tanks or barrels for a second fermentation. The second
fermentation will take the longest, although it brings out the quality
and taste from the wine.

All types of fine red wine will spend a minimum of a year in the
barrels. Some types of red wine will spend a lot more time in the
barrels, possibly several years. Red wine is also fine tuned with egg
whites, which will suspend the yeast and other solids found in the
wine downwards, before the wine is racked, filtered, and eventually
bottled. Once the wine has been bottled, it is then shipped off and
sold. Some wine however, will be stored for a period of time in the
bottle before it is offered for sale.

The time a wine spends in the bottle is very important, although not
every wine needs to spend a lot of time in the bottle. The more
complex and more expensive types of red wine will benefit the most
from aging in the bottle, to preserve flavor and color. The simple
types of red wine however, don’t need to spend much time at all in the
bottle.

Keep poppin them corks!
Chef Brian
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