1. The Art of Making Wine by Professor Ron Fournier January 18, 2017

2. What is Wine ?
Principal wine producing countries, as defined by law, says that wine is the fermented juice of grapes – “wine”
From other fruits or vegetables add a descriptor such as “blackberry wine” or “apple wine” or “dandelion wine”
Juice produced from wine grapes Vitis vinifera
over 5000 varieties of this grape have been developed
Juice from grapes contains all the stuff needed for fermentation
sugar, water, minerals, and even the yeast (wild strains)
today these wild yeasts are usually suppressed in favor of special winemaking yeasts
Sugars are primarily the monosaccharides glucose and fructose (glucose and fructose are both 6 carbon sugars and when combined they form the disaccharide sucrose)

3. History of Wine Vitis (grape) found in fossils 15 million years old
Primitive cultures made wine 10,000 years ago
Organized viniculture occurred in Mesopotamia (Iraq) 5,000 years ago and 6,000 years ago in Armenia
Egyptian frescoes show grape gathering and wine production
Conversion of something sweet to a dry (non-sweet) liquid, along with the pleasant effects of drinking the fermented juice, and its red color, made folks in ancient times associate wine with magic, the gods, blood and life, and sacred rites that last to this day

4. History of Wine
Records of Greek civilizations 3,500 years ago show that wine was a popular beverage and a sacred drink
Dionysus in Greek legend (Baccus by the Romans), the son of Zeus, invented wine on Mt. Nysa in Libya
Even the Hebrews think of Noah as the first winemaker as seen in the Old Testament of Genesis (9:20-21); in New Testament Gospel of John, Jesus performed his first miracle and launched His career by turning water into wine (John 2:3-11) at the wedding at Cana
Greeks and Romans lined storage vessels with resin which added additional flavors (try some Greek Retsina)
Medieval Catholic Church and their monks developed new grape varieties (grain, olive oil, and wine was their livelihood)

5. Growing Grapes
Juice of ripe grapes for wine making contain about 21 to 25 wt % sugar with an acid content less than 1 wt %
tartaric, malic, and citric acids
Tartaric acid C4H6O6 or HOOC-CH(OH)-CH(OH)-COOH
Malic acid C4H6O5 or HOOC-CH2-CH(OH)-COOH
Citric acid C6H8O7 or HOOC-CH2-C(OH)(COOH)-CH2-COOH
Acids add sharpness and a fruity taste so acidity of wine juice may need adjustment
Grapes can be grown in most temperate regions except where winter temperatures are extremely low
Vines do not require a rich soil and can thrive in sandy, chalky, rocky soil in sunny locations
France and Italy leading producers, over 40% of world’s output
Recent reports indicate California will surpass France
About 90% of US wine is made in California
Local areas include Traverse City, MI area and the Niagara-on-the-Lake region in Canada north of Niagara Falls
Australia along with Chile and Argentina becoming important exporters of wine (try a Malbec)

6. Types of Wines
Wines can differ in their flavor, aroma, and alcohol level
Characteristics of wine depend on the variety of grape used and chemical composition of the vineyard soil
Also depends on the methods used for making the wine
Major types of wine include
Nonsparkling (still), table, or beverage wines that contain less than 14 % alcohol
Sparkling wines such as champagne, less than 14% alcohol
Fortified wines, “apertiff” , such as port and sherry, with 16 – 21 % alcohol
Sweet or dessert wines such as the Sauternes
Aromatic wines such as vermouth (martini’s), with 15 – 20 % alcohol
Spirit wines, made by distillation, like brandy
Wines are also red, white, or rose’ (pink)
Most red and rose’ table wines are “dry” meaning they contain only very small amounts of unfermented sugar, less than 0.1% sugar

7. Making Wine Making wine involves the processes of
collecting the grapes
pressing the grapes (skins stay –red wine, skins go – white wine)
fermenting the juice (the must)
clarifying the wine (racking)
caring for the wine until it is ready for bottling
Grapes harvested in the fall, 22 wt % sugar in juice
16 lbs of grapes yield 1 gallon of wine
Fermentation caused by yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (many varieties), anaerobic
C6H12O6 ---> 2 C2H5OH CO2 + Q
Theoretical yield YP/S = 0.51 g ethanol/ g glucose
Usually get about 90-95% of this because some of the glucose forms biomass and other byproducts such as esters “bouquet”, glycerol “sweetness”, and if not careful undesirable stuff like organic acids such as acetic acid (presence of oxygen)
Sulfites (such as potasssium metabisulfite) used to prevent growth of wild yeasts and to prevent oxidation

8. Making Wine
Primary fermentation best at about 70 F and can take 7-14 days, for dry wine sp gr drops from to about during this time
Sp gr a measure of glucose content, also common is the Balling or Brix scale which reads in wt % sugar
0 Balling = sp gr
23.9 Balling = sp gr
Dry red or white wines start with sp gr = or Balling, i.e wt % sugar
Potential alcohol level then about 13 vol%

9. Making Wine
Wine is then racked into another secondary fermentor and left with an airlock for about 30 days
Gets the wine off the “lees” , the dead cells and sediment that can spoil taste
Typically one racks the wine 3-4 times
Time between each racking about 3 months
Then bottle and store / age the wine

10. Making Wine at Home
Commercial wine is no more a “real” wine than one made at home or in our class
Grape source
Actual grapes
Juices
Concentrates
Kits, usually a juice or concentrate with yeast and other chemicals
Better ones require no additional sugar

11. Grapes

12. The Crusher

13. Crushing

14. Crusher Separates the Stems from the Grapes & Juice

15. Stems
Crushed Red Grapes & Juice
Grapes & Juice in Primary Fermentor

16. White Wine Juice from Press
The Press

17. Winemaking Equipment Primary fermentor; 7-10 gal, food grade poly
2 5 gal glass carboys
Siphon
Stirring spoons
Bottle brush
Fermentation locks
Measuring cup
Hydrometer
Thermometer
Acid test kit
Record book
Bottles and corks
Nice to have
Wine thief
Bottle sterilizer
Bottle corker
$50-$200 typical investment

18. Making the Wine Primary fermentor shown at right Sanitizer important
3 TBS of potassium metabisulfite to 2 liter of water
Sanitizer good for 6 mos.
Rinse all equipment with this sanitizer
After sanitizing rinse with water

19. Making the Wine Juices usually of higher quality than can concentrates
Heron Bay makes a variety of
Juices, 16 L bag in a box, add
7 L of water
Here we are making a
Cabernet Sauvignon

20. Making Wine Pour the juice into the primary fermentor
Take an initial sp gr reading
For example in this
case sp gr = 1.34
Add additional water to get sp gr down to
Here we add 7 L of water to 23 L final
Add oak chips if desired

21. Making Wine
Hydrometer reading tells you how much sugar you have

22. Making Wine
Once the juice is in the fermentor and the sp gr is correct make a yeast starter
Always use a cultured commercial wine making yeast
Here we are using Red Star brand Pasteur Red
A strong, even fermentor, produces a full-bodied wine with fairly complex flavors
Good for the Cabernet family of grapes
Mix the yeast with some of your juice and let sit for about minutes

23. Checking Acid Content Important to check the acidity
- otherwise flat or flabby tasting wine
- no crispness and limited longevity,
minimizes oxidation
- acids interact with the alcohol during
aging to produce fruitiness and bouquet
- most important acids are tartaric, malic,
and citric
- use an Acid Blend to adjust acidity to
a level of .65 (red) - .7 (white) wt %

24. Making Wine Next we add some tannin Yeast Nutrient
Gives wine some astringency (pucker) or character, sort of a bite
Helps wine to clear
Prolongs the life
Typically 1/8-1/4 tsp per gallon
Yeast Nutrient
Provides elements and vitamins essential for a healthy fermentation
Nitrogen source
Otherwise “stuck” ferment

25. Making Wine After a day or so you should see rather
vigorous bubbling and the formation of
a cap, do not stir or disturb
Check sp gr every few days and continue
until sp gr reaches 1.000
Place a loose plastic cover
over the fermentor to keep
the critters and pests out

26. Time Schedule Primary fermentation, 7 – 14 days
Secondary fermentation, 30 days
Rack #1 and wait 2 – 3 months
Rack #2 and wait 2 – 3 months
Rack #3 and wait 2 -3 months
Bottle
Enjoy!

27. Progress of Fermentation
Days
Days

28. End of Primary Fermentation
Note cap and active foaming
Primary fermentation ends when sp gr
is or less, here it is about 0.995

29. Rack to Secondary Fermentor
Add ½ tsp of Potassium Metabisulfite

30. Racking Rack the wine into a new carboy every 2 to 3 months
Add ½ tsp of Potassium Metabisulfite

31. Bottle & Enjoy !

32. References “Winemaking, the Concentrate Method, by Art Lynch
“The Art of Making Wine”, by Stanley Anderson and Raymond Hull
“The Home Winemaker’s Companion, Secrets, Recipes, and Know-How for Making 115 Great-Tasting Wines,” by Gene Spaziani
Best source for winemaking supplies
Presque Isle Wine Cellars,