How Bordeaux is Made
In Bordeaux, the vintners select
and vinify separately the different grape varieties that will eventually be
blended into the final wine. While the precise vinification process varies
between appellations according to each vintner's secret recipe, following is
a general guide to how Bordeaux red wines are made.
1) From Harvest to
Juice
At harvest time, the healthiest grape
clusters are picked and loaded into a machine that destems and gently crushes
the grapes to release the juice called "must." The must and
skins are transferred into a fermentation vat which can be made of stainless
steel or wood.
2) Alcoholic
Fermentation
This is when grape sugar
is converted into alcohol by natural yeast found in grape skins (or sometimes by
the addition of special yeast strains). Alcoholic fermentation takes
place over a period of 5 to 10 days. Most red wines are fermented to complete
dryness, with little or no residual sugar
remaining.
3)
Maceration
Some producers leave the wine
to soak with the skins, pulp, pips, and dead yeast cells (together called
"marc") for up to 18 days during which time the alcohol extracts pigment,
tannins, and flavors from the
4)
Separation
Fermented grape juice
(called free-run wine) is separated from the marc. Then the marc is pressed to
extract any remaining wine. This wine, called vin de presse, has highly
concentrated flavors, tannins, and colors and may be blended back into the wine
to achieve the desired style and
flavor.
5)
Malolactic Fermentation
Sometimes called and
also known as Secondary Fermentation This is an optional
fermentation more often used for red wine production than white. It sometimes
occurs naturally, or can be induced by the wine maker at the same time as or
after alcoholic fermentation. Malolactic fermentation converts malic
acid to lactic acid which lowers a wine's acidity and makes it softer and more
pleasant to drink. In white wine production, malolactic fermentation risks
lowering the wine's acidity too much, so it must be accomplished with great
skill and subtlety.
6)
Clarification
Next the wine is racked, an
operation which separates the clear wine from any remaining particles from
the marc. An alternative way to clarify a wine is to introduce a substance
(called a "fining agent") which causes solid particles to fall to the bottom of
the container for removal. Egg whites are commonly used as a fining agent.
Filtration and the use of a centrifuge are other
clarification methods.
7) Blending
The wine maker
combines wines made from different grape varieties and vats to created the
desired bouquet, style, and flavor of wine.
8) Aging and
Bottling
Wine may be aged for up to two years in
oak barrels which imparts structure, additional tannin and flavor. Finally, the
wine is bottled and stored in cellars for further aging or shipped to
distributors.
WINEMAKERS !