Category: Wine Making Process

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The Solera Wine Aging System

Solera aging is a system developed by the Spanish and Portuguese and is used in the production of Sherry and Port. Not only is this system complicated in nature, it’s a lot of work and takes a long time to realize the benefits of using it.

A solera system is composed of several “solera rows” stacked on top of each other. Each row is made up of many barrels. Wine moves from the top most row to the bottom most row before being bottled over the period of several years.

This system is also referred to as “fractional blending” which will make more sense soon. Continue reading “The Solera Wine Aging System”

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Gross Lees vs. Fine Lees

Did you know there are actually two types of lees? Not only are there different kinds, but they are actually quite different from one another.

One kind of lees can spoil your wine in a very short time. The other kind has the potential to take a good wine and make it great by adding flavor compounds as well as smoothing out the mouthfeel.

Gross Lees

Gross lees in a ginger mead.
Gross lees after initial racking.

The gross lees refers not to how disgusting the stuff may be but the size of the debris. When you make wine from fresh fruit it is inevitable that some of the grape skins, seeds, and perhaps a stray stem or two will wind up in the bottom of your fermentation container.

It’s this chunky style lees that causes the most concern when it comes to determining how long you can let your wine sit before racking. The gross lees that can leave really funky flavors in your wine in short periods of time. Continue reading “Gross Lees vs. Fine Lees”

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Choosing The Right Wine Making Yeast

Choosing the right wine making yeast is a critical part of a successful fermentation.There are many factors that go into choosing a wine making yeast. This is the second most important decision you’ll have to make next to picking the grape varietal to make your wine from.

Choosing the right yeast is important for two reasons. First, different yeasts produce different flavor and aroma profiles to finished wines. This has to do with how the yeast processes the must when it’s digesting the sugars and nutrients. Continue reading “Choosing The Right Wine Making Yeast”

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The Difference Between Primary and Secondary Fermentation

There is a bit of confusion out there as to what the difference is between primary and secondary fermentation. Sometimes secondary fermentation is confused with a second fermentation and other times malolactic fermentation. Let’s set the record straight.

Primary Fermentation

The beginning stages of primary fermentation.
A Primary Fermentation Bucket

Before we talk about secondary fermentation lets start at the beginning with primary fermentation. This stage starts as soon as you add your yeast to the must. During this stage the yeast population is growing rapidly.

You know you’re in the primary stage because there’s a lot of visible activity. There’s often a lot of foam on top of the must and your airlock will be bubbling like crazy. Continue reading “The Difference Between Primary and Secondary Fermentation”

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The Wine Making Process Simplified

The wine making process is simply the conversion of sugar into alcohol by yeast.There’s no doubt that the wine making process can be a bit complex. There are all kinds of decisions to make regarding varietals, yeast strain, and additives. However, the actual process of how wine is made can be understood in relatively simple terms.

It’s important that you have a working knowledge of this process because everything we as winemakers do is to facilitate this process. We can build on this basic understanding over time, diving into more and more details along the way. Continue reading “The Wine Making Process Simplified”