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Steps and Processes Which go Into the Making of Wines by Muna wa Wanjiru
There are a few steps and processes which go into the making of wines and the final evolution that appears magically on our tables.
When to Pick the Grapes
This is a crucial step in the process of wine making and as such should be taken seriously. Picking the grapes at the wrong time could yield different results to the ones you were expecting. The decision to pick the grapes depends to a very great extent on the weather conditions. For instance, if it's very sunny then the grapes should be picked in the cooler night time environment.
Then again, there's also the determining factor of the grape variety itself. This combined with the style of wine you want, i.e. dry or sweet, will also be a factor in making the right decision. And then you also have the acidity levels of the grape to check, the sugar levels, the Ph levels and so on and so forth.
Picking the Grapes
Having made the decision to pick the grapes you can now move on to the actual process of picking the grapes. Depending on the size of the vineyard the picking operation varies.
Generally though, you'll find that containers are placed in easy-to-get-to places, and that most times the grapes will be handpicked. The grapes will then be rushed to the crushing platform where they will go through another check before they will be weighed in and then processed.
It is important that the grapes arrive at the crush platform while they are still fresh. So if the vineyard is a big one, then the grape picking operation will either be carried out mechanically, or with a staggering number of people at hand to ensure the grapes are picked and delivered within about eight hours. The time will naturally vary from vineyard to vineyard, but the urgency to get them off as soon as possible doesn't.
De-Stemming the Grapes
After all the visual checks have been performed, and the grapes have been weighed in and so forth, they will next be dumped into a de-stemming machine. Here, the stems of the grapes will be removed to avoid mixing in with the grapes, as they are rather astringent and have a bitter flavor to them.
The Grape Skin
Since the skin of the grape is where the greater flavors and aromas are stored, most grapes are given a 24 hour skin contact time, where they are allowed to interact with the skin.
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