All About Wine
All About Wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, obtained from the fermentation of grapes.
Types of Wine
White Wine
Type of Grapes
White wine is usually made from white grapes. However, it can also be made from dark grapes.
How To
White wines are made by fermenting only the grape juice, all skins and seeds are separated immediately after crushing the grapes.
Serving
White Wine is best-served cold (6 to 12˚C).
Red Wine
Types of Grapes
Red wine is made with dark grapes.
How To
A red wine is obtained by the fermentation of the must of black grapes along with the skins, seeds and possibly the stems.
Red wine get all of their red color from the skin of the grapes. In addition to color, they also impart other flavors and texture to the wine, noticeably their tannins. This brings to red wine more complexity and structure compared to other wines.
Serving
Red wine should normally be consumed at a higher temperature (12 to 18˚C). Red Wine should also be uncorked and decanted at least half an hour before serving.
Rose’ Wine
Types of Grapes
Rose is made from dark grapes.
How To
After crushing, the grape skins will be left macerating with their juices for a few hours. The juices will take on the color from the skin, as well as some of the flavors; this results in a pink-ish wine with tannins and additional flavors extracted from its skin.
Serving
Rosé wines should be served at a cool temperature (10 to 13˚C).
Sparkling Wine
Types of Grapes
Sparkling wine can be red, white, or rosé and is commonly a combination of both red and white grapes.
How To
Sparkling wine is fermented once in the barrel and then undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle after the addition of yeast, nutrients for the yeast, and sugar (known as tirage). The second fermentation results in a naturally sparkling wine.
Serving
Sparkling wine should be served ice cold (5 to 10˚C).
Dessert Wine
Types of Grapes
Dessert wines can be made with red or white grapes.
How To
The key to producing a sweet wine is to ensure there is sugar remaining in the wine after it’s been fermented. Winemakers use a number of methods to ensure a certain amount of grape sugar survives the yeast contact, including: drying the grapes after harvest, picking the grapes when they are overripe, halting the fermentation process early on so that the yeast don’t eat all the sugar, fortifying the wine with alcohol in order to stop the fermentation process or blending the wine with a sweet liquid. It’s all about creating the perfect balance of sweetness and alcohol to reach an ideal level of acidity in the wine.
Serving
Dessert Wine should be served chilled (6 to 10˚C).
Great Wine is Made in the Vineyard
A lot of work goes into making wine even before harvesting commences. Many winemakers argue that the quality and taste of the wine is largely influenced by how well the vineyard is taken care of throughout the year.
The Wine-Making Process
There are a few basic stages to making wine: harvesting, crushing, fermentation, pressing, ageing, blending, clarification and bottling. Undoubtedly, one can find endless deviations and variations along the way. In fact, it is the variants that make each wine unique and ultimately contribute to the greatness or ignominy of any particular wine.
01 The Harvest
Harvesting and picking the grapes is the first step in the wine-making process. Without fruit there would be no wine. The process of making fine wine requires that the grapes are harvested at a precise time (when the grapes are at perfect ripeness). The grapes are either harvested by hand or by a machine. Once the grapes arrive at the winery, reputable winemakers will sort the grape bunches, cutting out rotten or under-ripe fruit before crushing. The winemaker also decides whether or not to remove the stems or to ferment grape bunches as whole clusters. This is an important choice because leaving stems in the fermentation changes the taste of the wine.
02 Crushing
Crushing the whole clusters of fresh ripe grapes is the next step in the wine-making process. Grape clusters go through a crusher that squeezes the grapes slightly to get the juices flowing. The combined juice, skins and seeds is known as must. Some winemakers cool the must for a day or two, a process called cold soaking, to extract color and flavor compounds from the skins before any alcohol is created.
03 Fermentation
Fermentation is indeed the magic at play in the making of wine. It is when yeasts convert grape sugars into alcohol. Fermentation beings naturally with the aid of wild yeasts in the must and the cellar’s atmosphere. However, for a variety or reasons, some winemakers prefer to intervene at this stage by inoculating the natural must. This means they will kill the wild and sometimes unpredictable natural yeasts and then introduce a strain of yeast of personal choosing in order to more readily predict the end result. Regardless of the chosen path, once fermentation begins, it normally continues until all of the sugar is converted to alcohol and a dry wine is produced. A cap of skins forms atop the must. This cap needs to be blended back into the juice at least once per day but often more during the fermentation process to keep it moist. This process releases carbon dioxide allows oxygen uptake, speeds extraction from the skins and manages the heat. Fermentation can require anywhere from ten days to a month or more. The resulting level of alcohol in a wine will vary from one locale to the next, due to the total sugar content of the must.
04 Pressing
After the fermentation process, vintners drain the freely running wine from the tank and put the remaining skins into a wine press. A wine press separates the skins and seeds from the wine and squeezes the skins to coax out what is known as pressed wine. How hard to press the must is a key winemaking decision. Too hard, and it brings out harsh tannins. Too soft, it might leave the wine lighter in color and texture.
05 Ageing
Almost all wines need to age before being bottled and sold. The process can take from a few months to a few years in stainless steel, concrete or ceramic tanks or oak barrels. Each vessel affects wine differently as it ages. As the wine settles into tanks or barrels, a second fermentation (malolactic fermentation) occurs. This process converts the wine’s tart malic acid to softer lactic acid. It can occur naturally, however the winemaker can also encourage it by adding a malolactic culture. The biggest thing that affects flavors in wine is time. The longer a wine rests, the more chemical reactions happen within the liquid itself.
06 Blending
Now that the wine is good and rested, it’s time to make the final blend. A winemaker blends different barrels of the same grape to make finished wine. This adds complexity and creates a perfect balance in the final wine.
07 Clarification
Wine is then clarified during the maturation period by racking, fining and filtering. Sediments like dead yeast cells and tiny bits of grape skins settle out of wine while it ages. These form a layer at the bottom of barrels and tanks. Racking is the process of pumping or siphoning the now-clear wine into another barrel, leaving the precipitates and solids called pomace in the bottom of the fermenting tank to be discarded. Filtering and fining may also be done at this stage. Filtration can be done with everything from a course filter that catches only large solids to a sterile filter pad that virtually removes all remaining yeast as well as microbes that might later spoil the wine. Fining occurs when substances called ‘fining’ agents are added to a wine to clarify it. Often, winemakers will add egg whites, isinglass, casein, bentonite clay, or other compounds to wine that will help precipitate dead yeast cells, suspended proteins and other solids that make wine appear cloudy. These substances adhere to the unwanted solids and force them to the bottom of the tank. A large group of fine winemakers do not fine or filter because they believe it removes texture and quality.
08 Bottling
The final stage of the wine-making process involves bottling the wine. A final adjustment of sulfur dioxide is often made just before a wine is bottled to help preserve the wine. Oxygen is removed from the empty bottles before they’re filled with wine, corked and labeled. A few special wines will then continue to age in bottles for years before being sold and enjoyed.
Not All Wine Is Created Equal
Commercialization has completely changed wine. Originally, wine was made with very few ingredients and with minimal intervention. Today, many additives are approved in winemaking to increase production, ensure repeatable outcomes and keep costs low. Additionally, conventional grapes are often sprayed with various pesticides and other chemicals that have been shown to negatively impact human health.
Choosing a High-Quality Wine
— Organic/ Biodynamic
— No added sulfites
— Free of toxic additives
— Vegan
— Fermented spontaneously with native yeast
— Sugar-free
— Neither filtered nor fined
Benefits of Wine
Massive numbers of studies demonstrate that moderate wine consumption, especially red wine, has many health benefits. The main condition for wine to bring health benefits is that it is a high-quality natural wine (with minimal intervention), and it should to be taken moderately and together with meals. Some of the health benefits are:
— Antioxidant/anti-inflammatory effects. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of wine consumption are at the root of red wine’s health benefits. Many studies show that a moderate consumption of red wine impaired inflammatory activity.
— Antimicrobial properties. Polyphenols present in red wine have shown to have antimicrobial effect on a variety of pathogens.
— Prevents cardiovascular disease. Red wine has been shown to raise HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), reduce oxidized LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), inhibit platelet aggregation and decrease blood pressure.
— Anti-cancer. Resveratrol, an antioxidant in wine, can inhibit the initiation, promotion and progression of tumors and reduction of cell death by oxidative stress.
— Cognitive benefits. The brain consumes large percent of the body’s oxygen, which makes it highly susceptible to oxidative stress. Several studies have shown that moderate wine consumption, with its antioxidant properties, can have positive effects on brain health. Studies show that moderate wine drinkers perform better than people who consume other types of alcohol or don’t consume alcohol at all on cognitive tests. Additionally, regular wine drinkers demonstrate lower risks of neurological diseases, such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease compared to people who don’t consume wine.
— Improved gut microbiome. Polyphenols, present in wine, have positive prebiotic effects on the gut microbiome. Wine has shown to increase levels of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus. Additionally, Natural wines that aren’t aggressively filtered or fermented with commercial yeast strains contain their own probiotics similar to what you find in fermented foods, which are extremely beneficial for the gut microbiome.
*Although wine can provide some benefits, it is not classified as a ‘health’ food. There is no need to consume wine at all, however, if you like to drink wine, it can be part of a healthy and balanced diet.
Health Risks of Wine Consumption
Ethanol is a poison and poses many serious health risks when consumed in excess. Some health consequences of wine consumption are:
— Glutathione depletion. Glutathione is crucial for the detoxification of many harmful substances. Because it is required for detoxing ethanol, alcohol consumption can deplete glutathione, making our bodies more susceptible to toxic substances and disease.
— Liver damage (chronic liver inflammation and liver disease). When the liver detoxes ethanol, it is first broken down into acetaldehyde, an even more harmful poison that can stick around if your detox capacity is impaired. If you drink too much, your liver (and other body organs) will suffer. Fatty liver disease, hepatitis, and, after long-term heavy drinking, cirrhosis are all downstream effects of chronic alcohol use.
— Digestive problems and gut disruption (ulcers, gastritis, hemorrhoids and other digestive disorders). Alcohol damages the gut and causes changes in the gut microbiome, increasing the absorption of pro-inflammatory endotoxins and worsening symptoms of leaky gut.
— Increased risk of cancer (mouth, throat, esophageal, colon, liver and breast). Alcohol consumption may increase the risk of cancer in a dose-dependent manner.
— Psychological problems
— Worsen mental health conditions (Depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder)
— Increased risk of suicide
— Toxin and waste buildup in the body
— Dysregulated blood sugar levels
— Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
— Weakened Immune system
— Nerve damage
— Insomnia and other sleep concerns
— Sexual problems (decreased sex hormone production, lower libido, difficulty in achieving orgasm or getting/maintaining an erection)
— Reproductive and fertility issues (irregular menstrual cycle and increased risk for infertility)
— Changes in appetite and weight
— Skeletal and muscle problems (lower bone density, increased risk of fractures, muscle weakness and cramping )
— Malnutrition and vitamin deficiency (Anaemia and vitamin B deficiency)
— Circulatory problems (High blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, stroke, heart attack, cardiovascular disease, heart failure and other heart-related diseases)
— Increased risk of Dementia and Alzheimers
— Permanent brain damage
— Alcohol poisoning
— Alcohol dependence problems (Alcohol dependence, alcohol withdrawal and Alcoholism (addiction to alcohol))