Wine page 7 by ric gustafson
Grape skins contain tannin. Red wine contains more tannin than white wine. Tannin is the backbone of wine. Tannin acts like a preservative. Red wine can age far longer than white wine because of tannin. Cabernet Sauvignon has a significant amount of tannin. Pinot Noir has only a moderate amount of tannin.
When you have bitter tannin to the juice, stems are usually removed by putting the grape bunches into a machine. The machine is called a crusher destemmer. With less tannic varieties such as Grenache or Pinot Noir, the stems are left.
Today, red wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks. These tanks are easier to clean and easier to control temperature. Winemakers can use cultured yeasts. This can help with control and rate of fermentation. The speed of fermentation affects the flavor of the wine. Slower fermentation produces more complex wine.
Fermentation is a chemical reaction during which carbon dioxide gas and heat are thrown off. Yeast converts grape sugar into alcohol. Then carbon dioxide bubbles up from the mass and pushes the skins up to the surface.
Allowing the sugar to become alcohol can take several days to a few weeks. Then wine becomes dry. Ripe grapes contain an amount of sugar that will result in wine containing 8 to 15 percent alcohol.
research help: ' The Wine Bible' by Karen MacNeil
Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric
No comments:
Post a Comment