The characteristics of the grapes define what can potentially be developed in terms of color, balance, and intensity. The winemaker decides which characteristics will be derived from the grapes, or developed as part of the winemaking process.
WHITE WINES – Green (white) or red (crushed and immediately pressed to prevent pigmentation from skins).
BLUSH / ROSÉ WINES – Red grapes, with minimal contact with skins, or combination of red and green grapes.
RED WINES – Red grapes (macerated with skins for pigmentation). Skin has color and tannin. Seeds contain bitter elements. Stems can be retained to add certain astringent elements, and also make pressing easier by creating a pathway for juice to flow. Pulp contains juice and fruit flavor elements.
Processing
The winemaker decides which parts of the grapes and stems will be kept during the fermentation of the wine.
WHITE WINES – Crush the grapes; removal of stems is optional. Green grapes may be left in contact with juice for up to 24 hours for flavor extraction. The juice is pressed away from the solids.
BLUSH / ROSÉ WINES – Crush; leave red grapes in contact with juice until desired color is achieved (a very short period of time, or blend red and white together for desired color).
RED WINES – Crush grapes; stem removal is optional. Keep juice and skins together for fermentation, as this is where the color and tannin components are.
Fermentation
The must is either inoculated with the desired yeast strain(s) or the wild natural yeasts are allowed to develop. Alcoholic fermentation begins, converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Dry wines ferment until the available sugars are completely converted. In sweet wines, the fermentation is allowed to go as far as it can naturally, or the fermentation can be stopped with the desired degree of residual sugar remaining.
WHITE WINES (delicate) – are generally fermented in tanks made of non-reactive material – stainless steel, tile or glassed-lined concrete – at a low temperature to minimize the extraction of harsh compounds.
WHITE WINES (full-bodied) – may be fermented with varying degrees of skin contact for flavor extraction (white grapes only, of course) in any combination of non-reactive tanks, oak or other wooden barrels of various sizes. The smaller and newer the barrel, the greater the flavor extraction and expense. Fuller wines are generally fermented at a higher temperature.
BLUSH / ROSÉ WINES – Fermented in the same manner as delicate white wines in general. To increase the color extraction, the juice can be left in contact with the red grape skins for a longer period.
RED WINES – Fermented with the skins for several days to several weeks to extract the desired amount of flavor, color, and tannin, generally at a higher temperature than white and rosé / blush wines, either in neutral vats or wood (oak in general) barrels of various sizes and age. During fermentation, the cap, which floats to the top, is frequently immersed in the wine by various methods to increase extraction. The wine is then pressed from the solids.
Cellar Treatments
The newly fermented wine is now subjected to various procedures, which "finish" the wines and prepare them to be bottled. The following steps are followed according to the final style desired:
WHITE WINES (medium-bodied) – These are generally given further aging in bulk, sometimes in oak cooperage, and may be subjected to a degree of malo-lactic fermentation.
WHITE WINES (full-bodied) – Aged in cooperage and often left on the lees (expired yeast cells and residue) to develop complexities. Many times subjected to malo-lactic fermentation in varying proportions. Gently fined to clarify for full flavor retention.
BLUSH / ROSÉ and RED WINES (light and fresh) – To preserve the uncomplicated fresh fruit flavors, these are subjected to as few procedures as necessary. The wines are allowed to settle, filtered, and then bottled, often with a small amount of dissolved carbon dioxide retained to exclude air from the bottle and add a little "spritz" to the wine.
RED WINES (medium-bodied) – Aging in cooperage from six to twelve months adds the complexities of wood tannins plus a gentle oxidation to develop the flavors. The wines are clarified by gentler means than heavy filtration, which would strip flavor and color.
RED WINES (full-bodied) – Aged in cooperage in some instances for several years, many of the finest are clarified with egg whites (about four per 55-gallon barrel).
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