October - Elderberry Wine
How Wine Is Made
The first stage in the wine making process is to crush the grapes. In days gone by the grapes would be loaded into a large vat and the wine maker(s) would gently tread on them to break the grapes' skins to release the juice.
Nowadays this procedure is almost invariably carried out using a machine called, unsurprisingly, a crusher.
In the case of white wines, after crushing, the juice is separated immediately from the pulp of skins and stalks and fermentation commences.
When making red (and rose) wines, the juice is allowed to remain in contact with the crushed pulp for a while to add color, body and flavor to the 'must' (the juice to be fermented).
Most modern wines are fermented at a relatively low temperature (around 20 Degrees Centigrade), which results in wine with a fruity character. White wines are commonly made in large, cooled, stainless steel containers but some better quality wines are fermented in oak casks or, alternatively, oak chippings may be added to the must.
Red and ros? wines are usually produced in stainless steel vats or, sometimes, in oak. When the fermenting wine has reached the required color intensity, the liquid is drawn from the vessel, leaving behind the crushed skins and stalks.
Before bottling, wines from different batches may be blended together and matured. Depending on the type of wine, the length of this maturation process can be measured in anything from days to years.
If an "oaky" flavor is desired then the wine can be matured in oak barrels. New oak or old oak barrels can be used depending on the final flavor required.
Even after bottling, the flavor of some quality wines will continue to evolve, albeit at a slower rate. However nowadays, most wines, even expensive wines, are ready for drinking soon after bottling.
About the Author: Since Neil Best first investigated the history of wine he's been recording his findings at Good Glug. This article is part of the free Good Glug Wine Appreciation Mini Course. Visit now to get your copy
A synopsis on Elderberry Wine.
How Wine Is Made
The first stage in the wine making process is to crush the grapes. In days gone by the grapes would be loaded into a large vat and the wine maker(s) w...
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Current Elderberry Wine News
Town's Water Turns To Wine!
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:38:57 PDT
Families thought they were witnessing a miracle when wine flowed from their taps during a grape festival.
Travel Picks: Top 10 wonderful wine destinations (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:06:11 PDT
Wine lovers are increasingly following their passion on vacation with an more visitors to wine regions, which now boast top hotels, restaurants and tours.
Grapes, red wine may help in treating familial breast cancer (New Kerala)
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:33:08 PDT
Washington, Oct 10 : Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have identified a compound found in grapes and red wine as an excellent candidate for treatment of inherited breast cancer.
Red Wine Fermentation - Caps
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:05:32 PDT
The Just Grapes Barrel Project crew learn about red wine fermentation and their thick caps made up of skins, seeds, stems and other solids. The caps is where red wine gets it’s color, flavor and extraction.
Spigot Spumanti: Wine Flows From Italian Town’s Faucets
Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:33:26 PDT
Wine from your kitchen faucet? Oenophiles would’ve turned up their well-trained noses at it. On the other hand, for winos, it would’ve been a wet dream. Well, dreams do come true, as it did in the Italian town of Marino during its famous Sagra dell’Uva, or Grape Festival.
Just Grapes? Size Does Matter! Good Grapes Make Good Wine!
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:58:32 PDT
Stuart Ake of Crushpad discussing how the difference of grape sizes, colors, density of cluster sizes and more affect the wine in your glass. This meeting was part of the Barrel Project 2008 when the group was out at Crushpad making their own wine.
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