Winemaking

Contents

A Brief History
Wine Composition & Chemistry
Pick Decision & Harvest
Fruit Processing
Wine Microbiology
Fermentation
Élevage
Stabilization & Bottling
Bibliography

For any wine industry professional, an understanding of the winemaking process and the motivations driving winemaking decisions is powerful. It provides a cause-and-effect-based framework for tasting, fosters better communication among the trade, and empowers critical thinking for navigating information about wine. This guide offers insight into the winemaking principles and practices that affect the style and quality of wine in the glass.

When embarking on the study of winemaking, it is helpful to keep a few fundamental concepts in mind:

Grapes and wine are subject to variation and imprecision. Because fruit composition is a limiting factor, winemakers do not have complete control over outcomes. Rather, they adapt techniques to the grape variety, vineyard, and vintage at hand.
There are few universal truths in winemaking, and each decision depends on context. What works in one case (for a particular region, variety, or vintage) may not have the same result elsewhere—there are many caveats, exceptions, and stylistic considerations.
Plenty of unknowns remain. Many lessons are learned through experience and experimentation, and decisions often rely on intuition.

It is currently fashionable throughout the trade to diminish the role of the winemaker, suggesting that “wine is made in the vineyard” and glorifying “hands-off” winemaking. It is true that winemaking, in its most basic form, occurs naturally: fruit left alone in a tank will typically ferment. But removing people from the picture undermines the significant human endeavor required to shepherd wine from grapes to bottle. While many winemakers seek to minimize intervention, and the principles that underlie the science of winemaking are universal, all decisions—including the decision of whether or not to act—impact