Indulging in a crisp, refreshing glass of wine is a one of life’s simple pleasures, but the process of creating the wine itself is, of course, nowhere near as simple. Much of the charm of wine is linked to the complex journey a grape undergoes, from vineyard to wine glass, and all the variations that journey can have depending on the type of wine being produced.
Read on to learn more about the journey of a grape, from cultivating the flower buds and harvesting the fruits to bottling the finished product and pouring yourself a glass.
Choosing
Before winegrowers can begin cultivating their vines, they must first carefully select the location of their vineyard and choose a specific variety of grape to grow.
Vineyard selection involves considering the area’s soil type, climate, and topography, among other factors. If the winegrowers have a specific grape variety in mind, a specific type of terroir will be required, whereas other winegrowers may pick the most suitable vineyard location first and then select a grape that will grow well there second.
When choosing the type of grape to grow, winegrowers will consider the type of wine they wish to make, from still to sparkling, and from white to red. The grapes of still white wine are often versatile and neutral, such as the Chardonnay variety from vineyards in Burgundy, France, whereas the grapes of red wine are often more soft and supple, such as the Merlot variety from vineyards in Bordeaux, France.
On the other hand, the grapes of sparkling wine are often indigenous varieties. Glera grapes are often used for sparkling white wine, such as Prosecco, whereas more unique grape varieties such as Xinomavro and Mourvèdre are used to create sparkling rosé wine.
Cultivating
Young grapevines grow very slowly, over a period of several years, with considerable attention and care. It takes a long time for the vines to establish deep root systems and develop enough foliage to photosynthesise.
Winegrowers must tend to the vines on a regular basis throughout all months of the year to ensure the crops are growing correctly. They must also make sure that the soil remains fertile, the vines are pruned correctly to ensure the plants have enough room for buds to grow, and that the vines receive the correct amount of water to avoid parching or drowning them.
Managing pests, diseases, and ensuring the vines remain healthy will also be crucial to producing high quality grapes. Pests such as aphids and grapevine moths can cause significant damage to the vines, reducing yield and fruit quality. Similarly, diseases such as powdery mildew or botrytis can devastate crops if not controlled.
Harvesting
Once the grapes are perfectly ripe, they can be harvested from their vines. The correct time of year for harvest will depend on the variety of the grapes and the location of the vineyard, but this will usually fall around late summertime or early autumn.
Knowing when grapes are ready for harvest is critical, as the grapes should only be plucked from the vine once they have achieved the perfect balance of sugar and acidity and the ideal flavour profile.
Once the grapes have been confirmed to be ready for harvest, winegrowers must choose between handpicking and machine harvesting. Handpicking is often preferred for high quality wine as it allows careful selection and the best bunches, as a human is able to manually identify the grapes which will and won’t contribute to a great glass of wine. On the other hand, machine harvesting is often quicker and more cost effective, but this cannot rule out subpar grapes, meaning the collective batch will often be of a lesser quality compared to handpicked bunches.
Once the grapes have been harvested, they are swiftly transported to the winery to be transformed into wine.
Winemaking
Once the grapes have been harvested from their vines, the winemaking process can begin, starting with the process of crushing the grapes to extract their juice. This was traditionally done by foot, with winemakers standing in a bucket of grapes to squeeze the juices out of the fruit skins. Nowadays, this process is usually done with machinery for ease and cost reasons.
Once the juice has been fully extracted, this sweet liquid is separated from the skins, stems, and seeds of the grape, although some red wines retain their skins until later in the winemaking process to increase the tannins present in the finished wine and to give the wine a richer burgundy colour.
Yeast is then added to the juice to commence the fermentation process. Here, the sugar in the grape juice will be converted into alcohol over a long process, taking anywhere from a few days to several weeks. Wines that undergo longer fermentation processes will have a higher alcohol percentage and a dryer taste, whereas wines that ferment for a shorter period will have a lower alcohol percentage and taste much sweeter and more sugared.
The texture, flavour complexity, and mouthfeel of the wine will then be honed through the aging process. The wine will be stored in a wine aging vessel such as a tank, barrel, or bottle, to develop the wine’s unique characteristics and distinct personality.
Bottling
Once the full winemaking process is complete, the wine will undergo filtration immediately before it is bottled to remove any remaining skins, stems, or seeds and to ensure the wine has perfect clarity.
Bottles will be filled and capped with either a cork or screw top before being labelled with all of their information, ready to be sold to consumers. It is imperative that the bottles are stored and temperature controlled properly during this stage to preserve the hard work that has gone into achieving the wine’s quality and characteristics.
Finally, a consumer will purchase the bottle of wine and finally indulge in the rewards of all that hard work.