The production of wine and its consumption dates back 3000 years B.C. and over the years this production has been improved and refined. But how is this magnificent nectar of the gods produced?

Wine production can be divided into 7 different stages:

The first stage is the harvest, consisting of harvesting the grape after it has matured. This ripeness differs depending on the variety and where it is located, due to differences in temperature and humidity, which vary its ripeness.

After the harvest, the berry is destemmed and crushed using only a destemmer/crusher. The process is based on breaking the film in order to obtain the must (grape juice).

The third process is that of alcoholic fermentation and maceration. Alcoholic fermentation, as the name implies, consists of increasing the levels of ethyl alcohol, through the use of yeasts, in anaerobic environments. Maceration is carried out during alcoholic fermentation and consists of an increase in phenological compounds, thus creating a more complex wine.

Then, the pressing will be done, which is performed with a press, the objective being the separation of undesirable compounds from the must or press wine.

The press or must wine will be placed in stainless steel tanks or oak barrels, to ferment, this transfer being called racking. Stainless steel tanks offer wine a fruitier flavour, unlike oak barrels, which offer a woodier aroma and flavours.

For the wine not to become cloudy, the clarification and stabilization process will still be necessary, which will allow the removal of unnecessary components.

Due to the rest of unwanted residues at the bottom of the tanks, the wine is transferred back to tanks or barrels in order to maintain only the desired liquid. It will then mature until it reaches the desired alcohol levels.

After the described processes, the wine is finally bottled, with a rest period prior to commercialization to stabilize it.

Image by Leo Hau from Pixabay