With a basic history out of the way, what are the actual steps to ferment your first batch of wine? Well, if you want to start at the beginning, buy the fruit that will eventually become your final product.
Sourcing wine grapes does not need to be complicated. In fact, these days you can even do it over the internet. Unless you want to just get the basics in place, don’t turn to grapes or fruit from the local grocer, but instead find a regional source of wine grapes that will ship directly to you.
Once you have your fruit supply, the initial step is simply to mash the fruit and create an extraction. Depending on the grape, wine can be made from the straight juice without additional liquid or sugar added. However, often additional sugars, fruit juices and water will need to be added to create the desired concentration of fruit flavor before fermentation. The end product of this first step is known as a must. During subsequent steps yeast will be added to the must to ferment the juice.
After creating the must, the next step is the primary fermentation. In this step, yeast that is added to the juice consumes the sugars within the must. As the yeast eats the sugar it creates alcohol as a byproduct of its metabolism. By controlling a number of variables that impact the yeast’s life cycle, its access to food and the overall duration of the fermentation process, the winemaker can control the overall flavor, texture and sweetness of the wine.
The fermentation process occurs in two basic step. In the first step the yeast builds up colonies in and aerobic condition. This simply means that the juice is exposed to air during this primary fermentation. During this process, the juice along with the pulp is fermented primarily in a fermentation bucket. The amount of time that the must goes through primary fermentation is recipe specific and will vary depending on the type of wine that is being created.
Once the must has gone through the primary fermentation, it will need to be filtered and transferred into a closed container for secondary fermentation. This filtering process, known as raking, removes the pulp and solids that have formed during the primary fermentation. After filtering the wine is poured into a demijohn which is a specific closed container designed to keep air out.
Within the closed container, the yeast will begin their secondary fermentation where the bulk of the alcohol will be created. During this time, bubbles of carbon dioxide will bubble off of the liquid while the sugars are transformed by the yeast into alcohol. This secondary fermentation is slower than the initial fermentation step, but once again varies depending on numerous factors. Once again, the recipe for the type of wine you are making should be your guide.
As the secondary fermentation progresses, you will see that the wine will begin to clear and a layer of sediment will fall to the bottom. This layer is simply yeast that has gone through its life cycle and died. As the alcohol content of the liquid increases, more and more yeast will die off as the alcohol creates a toxic environment for the yeast. Rarely will a vintner allow the fermentation process to go this far when making a good wine, but this approach can be used for a much more potent spirit.
After the secondary fermentation, rake the wine again and siphon it off into a container to age. Depending on the resources that you have available, you may be able to siphon the liquid into a half or full oak barrel. Once again you can purchase used barrels from spirit manufacturers and vintners online, or by calling wineries and distilleries directly. If you don’t have a barrel available for aging, you may also choose to siphon the wine off into a clear glass bottle for aging.
No comments:
Post a Comment