Sunday, September 4, 2011

How RED WINE is made.


A lot of us will have a glass of a Red Wine every now and then.  We will sip and enjoy, and at the end of the day, toss the empty bottle into the trash, and repeat the process on another day.
But, how many of us know how a Red Wine is made?
Well, for those of you that are curious, here is a simplified explanation of the process.
Generally speaking, all red wines are made following the following steps:
1-The grapes are picked and then brought quickly to the winery for processing to retain the freshness of the grapes. 
 2-The stems are removed and the grapes are crushed to release the juices from the skins.
3-Then, the pulp, skins, seeds and juice is stored in a vat for a few days while the natural fermentation process begins
4-After a few days the wine is separated from the solids using a press and this wine is placed into another vat to finish its natural fermentation.
5-At this point the wine is "drawn off it's lees" (sedimentation) and placed into oak barrels for aging. This aging can take anywhere from a few months to several years depending on the quality of the wine.
6-At this point, for some wines, the wines are then filtered or "fined" to improve its clarity. Egg whites, gelatin, or sometimes other natural substances are used for this.
7-The wine is then bottled, and the better wines are allowed to rest for several weeks before shipment.
Ideally, Red Wines are best served at cool room temperatures (60F to 65F)
But, remember, when it comes to wines and your personal tastes, if you want your wine colder, then have it that way. 
The proper temperature, for a wine, is the temperature that YOU, the consumer, prefers.

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