Vinification is the process that transforms the grapes into wine. The process of vinification differ from region to region, financial state of the winery and the grape types. The harvesting time and the type of oak used for aging are based on the region in which the wine grapes are grown.
Wine making process involves the following stages:
The first step in wine making process is Harvesting or Picking. Grapes should be harvested at the right time in order to make good wine. Harvesting can be done either mechanically or by hand.
The process of separating the grapes from the stems and cluster parts is called Destemming. Some of the wine makers keep some fragments of the stem to increase the wine tannin.
After destemming the grapes are crushed to extract the juice from the skin. This is done before the fermentation process begins. In the olden days bare feet is used to extract the grape juice, now a day machines like crushers are used.
Separation of grape juice and the skin is named as pressing. After crushing the grape juice will flow freely, selected wineries use pressers to make sure maximum juice is released.
Once the grapes are pressed they are introduced into the process of fermentation. During this process the grape juice are converted into alcoholic beverage. The yeast interacts with the sugar in the grape juice and converts them into ethanol and carbon dioxide.
Once the wine is purified and refined, they are preserved with sulfur dioxide or potassium sorbate. During the natural process of fermentation a minimum amount of sulfites are produced, but more is added for the use of commercial preservation.
Wines are aged for a particular amount of time to get more welcoming wine. Once after purification, the wines are moved to wooden barrels for aging. Metal vats, concrete vats and glass carboys are also used in some cases to increase the flavor.
After aging, the wines are bottled. During the process of bottling a final dose of sulfite is added to the wine to prevent it from uninvited fermentation in the bottle. The bottles are then sealed with cork and screw caps.
Wines of the Year 2020: white wines
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Category: Blog
There are plenty of exciting styles to discover...
The post Wines of the Year 2020: white wines appeared first on Decanter.
There are plenty of exciting styles to discover...
The post Wines of the Year 2020: white wines appeared first on Decanter.
Now in its fourth consecutive iteration, our Wines of the Year is an exciting and eye-opening exercise in which we ask Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Chairs, key contributors and staff to nominate the wines they most enjoyed in the years that was.
The nominations are categorised under Classic (a premium, textbook wine style), Offbeat (unusual grape, winemaking method, region or unearthed gem) and Value (£25 or under).
Unlike the reds and sparklings which, in general, were very classic examples, more than 40% of the nominated white wines fell under the Offbeat category.
This made for a very exciting and eclectic tasting for the experts – Andy Howard MW, Ronan Sayburn MS and Beth Willard – to taste and score unprejudiced by preferences.
Scroll down to see tasting notes for our White Wines of the Year 2020
Each wine is unique. Soil, weather, geology, varietals, and the style of wine making, are all decisive yet variable factors that give each wine a unique character.
Winemakers all over the world are combining wine making traditions of millennia with innovative approaches and ideas, to address consumer demand for high quality products and a sustainable and healthy lifestyle.