The Art of Fine Wines Making. Wine has been with us for thousands of years. I sometimes wonder, how is it that it has lasted the test of time. Wines are used for celebrations for all kinds of events, especially weddings. My first recollection of wine was in church. The priest read a passage from the bible that Jesus attended a wedding with his mother. In the passage the wedding couple is running out of wine for their celebration.
To make a long story short, Mary the mother of Jesus tells him. They are out of wine. Jesus then turns water into wine. My first experience with wine was on a trip to Nice, France with my students in 1987 for the Annual Carnival. Culture shock, going to eat at a regular restaurant in Nice, France, there is a bottle of red wine at every table, not water, just wine.
The Art Fine Wines / Steps of Wine Making
Basically, in researching, there are five Steps to Wine Making. Any one can grow wine. So the saying goes. However, not every grape that grows tastes the same. The area, climate, temperature, the soil, all of these things have to come together to make it so. Then you have the wine maker who has to know how to blend everything to get that certain taste for the different varieties of wine.
Therefore, we can say that wine making is an art. However, the process includes science. Every step of the process is vitally important and plays a necessary role in order to get the final product. Besides planting the grapes or once the fruit is ready, there are five steps.
The Art Fine Wines / Making Harvesting
The Harvesting comes first. Using both science and old tasting techniques, the harvesters determine when the grapes are ready. They then separate those which are just right and those which are rotten or under ripe. Usually in the fall, the fruit is picked by hand. No other fruit produces the right amount of sugar to get the right amount of alcohol then grapes. Also, no other fruit has the right amount of acids to make a stable wine.
The Art of Fine Wines / Crushing and Pressing
Wine, traditionally was the crushing. Men and women would dance in large barrels and pressed to squeeze the juice from the fruit. Today, almost every process is done with machines. This is faster but I think it takes away some of the fun of wine making. These two steps, crushing and pressing are both used in making red and white wine. This new process with machines has also reduced the use of preservatives in wine.
The Art of Fine Wines / Fermentation
The next process is the fermentation of the juice. If left on it’s own, the fermentation process starts within 6 to 12 hours. The natural process begins with wild yeast in the air. But winemakers, at this moment, come in and use a new strain of yeast to ferment a particular tasting wine. Now, the fermentation begins. It only stops when the sugar has turned into alcohol and a bottle of wine is made.
Some process takes from 10 days to months or even years. How much alcohol a certain wine has is determined from where the fruit was grown. Depending on the region, where the fruit came from, if it came from a cold climate it may have 10% alcohol where if it comes from a warmer region it could be 15%. Sweet wines are usually produced during the fermentation before all sugar is converted into alcohol.
The Art of Fine Wines / Clarification
Once complete, the following step begins and winemakers can either rack or siphon their wines from one tank to another. Whatever is left can be used to complete the filtration process. Some use or add clay to the wine. These clay particles settle at the bottom of the storage tank. Filters are also used to strain the large particles. Now the wine is prepared for aging and bottling.
This is basically the difference between Fine Wines that age once the process is complete and the wines that are mass-produced by companies to produce the same tasting wine year after year. It’s like preparing punch. It always tastes the same for that reason. It also contains a lot of chemicals and substitute sulfates. While Fine Wines with their natural sulfates age and take longer. Depending on the climate, soil, the weather and such gives you a different tasting wine each year and unique, and no hangover.
The Art of Fine Wines / Aging and Bottling
This brings us to the final stage. Aging and bottling of wine-making. Winemakers can if they like, leave a certain wine to age in stainless steel barrels, large wooden barrels or in the bottle. They try different ways to reach the final desired taste for the flavor they are looking for. Once ready, this beautiful liquid gold is bottled, for the members of this Wine of the Month Club to enjoy. So drink, taste and enjoy the fruits of their labors as this elixir of the gods is paired with your favorite foods. So the art of wine-making is even more then just a beverage. It is also a food. Bon Appetit y’all!!! How or where can I get this wine, that I may taste it? These wines are not sold in stores. You have to become a member of the Wine of the Month Club.
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