From Grapevines to Wine Glasses

From the classic “I Love Lucy” grape stomping episode to modern movies like “Sideways” and “A Walk in the Clouds”, Hollywood has uncorked some of the mysteries behind the winemaking process.  While technology has improved many of the processes shown in old movies and TV shows, I began to wonder how my favorite wines were made.  I have two wines that must be kept in my house at all times – Concord and Niagara.  While both are sweet wines, one is red and the other is white.  For the most part, they are developed through the same process.  Ever wonder how that is possible?

Well, here’s a light-hearted look into the winemaking process:

1.) Harvesting and De-stemming the grapes - This stage is pretty self-explanatory.  This is where the grapes are removed from the vines, depending on the time of the season, and then removing the stems from each grape.

2.) Crushing - Once the grapes are cleaned, they are placed into pressers and crushed.  Everyone remembers that “I Love Lucy” episode where Lucy crushes grapes by stomping on them in a large vat.  While this stage is generally not done by manual labor anymore, that scene has become iconic in US popular viticulture. Now done with large machines, this stage does not require manual labor to extract the juices from the grapes.  The liquids and paste from this stage are then placed in vats and the next stage begins.  At this stage, it is determined what parts of the grape will be used to make either red wine or white wine.  While the type of grape is a major factor, other parts of the grape such as the skin, seeds, and juices will determine the overall flavor and color of the wine.  

For example, most white wines only use the juices generated from the crushing process for the rest of the stages.  On the other hand, most red wines allow more time for the juices to have contact with the skin before extracting only the juices for the rest of the winemaking process.  This creates a full-bodied red wine as opposed to the light body of a white wine.

3.) Fermentation - Undoubtedly, the most important component in the winemaking process is yeast.  When it is added to the wine juices, it starts the fermentation process.  Without getting into the science of this stage, fermentation is simply the conversion of the sugars in the grape juices to alcohol.  The yeast is the agent that allows for this process to happen.  It changes the grape sugars and produces the aroma and flavors of the wine.   Winemakers use different types of yeast to produce a certain wine – dry, semi-sweet, or sweet (to name a few).  The type of container used in this stage also helps create a specific flavoring to the wine.  For example, if the wine ferments in oak barrels, it will have a “woody” or richer taste than a wine that fermented in a stainless steel vat.

4.) Clean Up, Lock Down, and Seal it - Once all the juice sugars have been converted into alcohol, the wine is then filtered to separate the liquid from any dead yeast cells, sediment, and other grape parts (known as racking).  This is especially important for red wines since the skins are used to add flavor.  After the wine is cleaned, it is then ready to be bottled and sealed.  While some wines are bottled immediately after fermentation is complete, others must mature in barrels.  This is why in some movies, like the classic Disney Movie “The Parent Trap”, you will see scenes with barns and large facilities filled with stacks of oak barrels.  Once the wine is in the bottle and sealed with a cork and ready for consumption.

And that’s how it’s made!  So the next time I open a bottle of Niagara, I know how much hard work went into making one bottle of wine.  From the stomping of the grapes to sealing the bottles with corks, winemakers take pride in their business.  It is not only a science, but an art to create such a wonderful drink that I can end my day with!

Enjoy A Clip!

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“Wine is like people. The wine takes all the influences in life all around it, it absorbs them and it gets its personality." - French Kiss (1995)