SUB-ZERO WINE BLOG

Winemakers are fond of saying that “wine is made in the vineyard, not in the winery.” This gives grape growers a lot of the recognition and emphasizes the vital importance of starting with healthy vines and good fruit.  But the fact is, winemakers do exert an enormous amount of control over their final product by using various techniques in the winery.

It starts at the crush. If the stems are included, the process is known as whole cluster fermentation. Grape stems contain tannins, those substances which tend to make wines puckery-tasting. These days, most red and white wine grapes are destemmed mechanically before fermentation, but some producers, especially those making Pinot Noir, prefer to retain a percentage of the stems in their wines to add structure.

The decision of what sort of fermentation vessel to use always faces the winemaker. These days stainless steel fermentation is the norm, but some wines are fermented in small oak barrels. Barrel-fermentation tends to produce more rounded wine with more fully-integrated oak flavors. After fermentation, most wines are further aged in barrels. American oak imparts more upfront flavors of wood and vanilla to wines. French oak is more subtle. Some wines are released unoaked (that is, not aged in barrel) and maintain brighter, more pronounced varietal flavors. You’ve probably heard wine geeks talk about malo—short for malolactic fermentation. This is a secondary fermentation that will occur naturally as temperatures rise in the spring, but it can also be induced by the winemaker. During malo, stronger malic acid is converted by bacteria into softer lactic acid. The result is a more luscious, buttery mouthfeel in the wine, either red or white.

Winemaking is both a science and an art. Like a painter with a palette of colors, the winemaker employs a palette of techniques to bring you, the winelover, a beautiful bottle of wine.