1)
Winemaking - an art where little has changed
- Winemaking dates back to 6,000 BC near the Black
Sea and spread south to the Middle East and around
2,000 BC spread to Greece. Between 1000 BC and 500
BC, it reached Europe and thereafter, 300 BC and 500
AD, the Romans took wine northward, all the way to
Britain. During The Middle Ages, wine-making was
standardized and codified under the disciplined eye
of the church.
The steps in winemaking:
1. The fresh grapes are de-stemmed and crushed in
tubs.
2. The juice is drained from the grapes, then from
the stems and skins (skins give wine their
color...skins are removed earlier in the production
of white wine to get the desired color and taste).
3. The juice and natural yeast from the skins along
with commercial yeasts are added to a vat or oak
barrel
to ferment. The yeast converts the grapes' natural
sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide which is
released in the process.
4. The juice ferments under controlled temperatures
for up to a couple weeks until the natural sugar has
completely fermented.
6. The wine is then aged
in stainless steel vats or oak barrels depending on
the desired flavor (oak imparts a vanilla or oak
flavor).
7. Any remaining particles are filtered from the
wine.
8. The wine is bottled
for consumption.
2) The best way to buy
wine is to decide what you like
(red, white, sweet,
dry, etc.) and look for wines types that match those
tastes. Once you find a type you like, try different
brand names to see which one you enjoy more. "Experiment
to find what you like. If you taste something at a
friend's or at a restaurant that you enjoy, remember the
name and try it again."
3)
Storing and Serving Wine
Once
you take the wine home, however, it is important to
remember that red wines are best served at room
temperature (between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit)
while white wines should be served chilled (between
45 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit). Most wines need to
breathe before they are served, which basically
means that they need some contact with the air for a
few minutes before they are consumed. Tall, thin
glasses (champagne flutes) are best for sparkling
wines and champagnes because their smaller surface
area near the top helps keep the bubbles from going
flat. All wines should be stored between 40 and 70
degrees Fahrenheit. Storing them on their sides
helps keep the corks from drying out, which protects
the flavor.
4)
Sulfites -
Sulfite is a naturally occuring bi-product of fermentation.
Any fermented product contains some sulfite ....and
that includes bread, beer, etc. It is true that for centuries
winemakers the world over have added tiny amounts
(parts per million) of additional sulfite to act as
an anti-oxidant. The amounts of sulfite in wine are
so minute that they seem only to bother the most hyper-allergic. Because of modern winemaking
techniques (micro-filtration, etc), today's wines have
the least quantity of sulfite that they have ever
had. If
you're still bothered by the idea of sulfur products
in your wine,
aerate the wine by pouring it into another container
before serving. This will allow excess sulfur
dioxide to escape, but you may lose some good
aromas as well. I think I’ll pour mine directly
from the bottle to my glass, "Cheers!”
5) Storing opened leftover wine - The
key point here is to keep oxygen away from the wine.
When wine oxydizes, it degrades quickly and can soon
turn into a good salad dressing vinegar. Cap the container
with a cork or plug so that the bottle is relatively
air tight. Store the container in your refrigerator.
When you are ready to drink it again, remove the container
and let it warm-up to the desired drinking temperature,
depending on whether it is red or white wine. Your wine
should be fine up to 5 to 7 days.
